Belonging
by Lamby
Summary: A young child develops her mutant abilities under the watchful eye of a mysterious doctor, but for once it is not what she is but who she is that is of most importance to the X-Men. AU to X3.
1. 01

**A young child develops her mutant abilities under the watchful eye of a mysterious doctor, but for once it is not what she is but who she is that is of most importance to the X-Men. **  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own, nor am I making any money from, the X-Men movie- verse. Duncan and Hana belong to Corrinth, as does Ilehana Xavier should she be mentioned. Star owns Golan, should he be mentioned too. All other OCs belong to me, especially Blaze and Jessie.  
  
A/N: Okay, this story is the culmination (now that's a long word for a Friday morning!) of Corrinth's and mine timeline so far. In other words, this is set pretty much straight after the end of Guardians of Destiny, a whopping thirteen years after X2. I'll warn you now, there's post X2 spoilers a plenty coming up. Also spoilers for Corrinth's Guardians of Destiny, which incidentally is excellent, so go read it! But don't let all that put you off, I have very good reasons why this has to be so far in the future, so enjoy and if you have any questions about the timeline Corrinth and I write to, either email one of us or feel free to read all that has gone before.  
  
To Corrinth, this story is, well not all your fault, but you set me a challenge in Guardians of Destiny through the parting words of one Ilehana Xavier... "Gam... Remy, Laura, I hope that, after all this, you will both realise where it is you truly belong." So here goes with my answer... dedicated to you buddy, long live the sidekick wall and may the mutant wolf pups run long and free!  
  
Scene 01  
  
The three little angels, terrors of the neighbourhood, pride of their parents, hid behind the parked car and waited for the newspaper boy to cycle unsuspecting down the broad avenue. Mia, the youngest of the gang was a nine-year-old black girl with deeply thoughtful eyes and a wicked streak the other two encouraged to blossom. Kerry was a ten-year-old beauty pageant winner with long blonde hair she hated and big blue eyes that meant she could get out of anything. Their leader was Jessie, the willowy redhead who looked as if she wouldn't say boo to a goose. Looks weren't everything though, and right now she clutched a full water balloon ready in her hand, waiting with a grin on her face.  
  
"Ready? Fire!" The paperboy, who also happened to be Kerry's older brother Tom, was drenched from head to foot under a hailstorm of balloons. He screamed something unintelligible about telling his Mom, and peddled off furiously towards home, dripping as he went. The three best friends collapsed in a heap laughing.  
  
"That was excellent!" Kerry squealed, accepting a high-five from Jessie. "Am I gonna get it when I get home though!"  
  
"Just say he started it!" Mia laughed, "He ain't got no proof!"  
  
"Jessie! Dinner's ready!" Came the call from the house behind them. Jess groaned as she stood up.  
  
"No fair... Oh well, see you both tomorrow." She stuffed the rest of the packet of water balloons in her back jeans pocket. "What's our English homework again?"  
  
"Read act one scene one of Romeo and Juliet..." Both other girls recited in a bland tone, though their eyes were dancing. Jess'd forget her head if it wasn't attached.  
  
"Cool, think Mom's got that old film version, so I'll watch that instead." She was also lazy, but she didn't see it as such a bad thing, using her initiative. Running up her front path with a backwards wave she shouted back to her friends. "Later dudes!"  
  
Jessie's dog Scruffy bounded all over her as she slammed the door shut behind her. In the kitchen she could hear her Dad singing terribly as he served the evening meal. Her Mom appeared, dressed impeccably as always, from upstairs and shooed the excitable pup away.  
  
"Go wash up trouble." The blonde woman pressed a kiss to Jess' forehead, leaving a lipstick mark behind. "Looks like you need it."  
  
"Aww, Mom." Jess ran to the bathroom, before skidding into the dinning room like an excitable pup herself on the polished wooden floor.  
  
"Hey Sport." Her Dad greeted her with a grin and a plateful of burgers and fries. "What's new at school?"  
  
"Not a lot." Jessie answered automatically; did kids ever tell their parents anything about school? Did parents really expect longwinded answers to the timeless question? Jess was so busy musing whilst stuffing her meal down her that she missed the worried glances that past between her parents. A few moments of silence followed, before Jess noticed she was the only one eating, and looked up. "What's wrong?"  
  
"Um..." Her Dad, a complete coward by trademark, avoided her eyes and poked a fry with his fork. "You remember Doctor McMahon Jess?"  
  
"Yeah?" Jessie answered with more than a hint of sarcasm in her voice. In hadn't been that long since her parents had taken her to see the eye specialist. She hadn't liked the man one bit; he was creepy, always watching her like she was some kind of lab rat.  
  
"Well, I had a phone call from him at work today." Jess' Mom took over telling the story, not afraid to meet her daughter's eyes no matter how unnerving it was. She was still her daughter after all and she still loved her. "The test results have come back at long last."  
  
"And?" Jessie put her cutlery down either side of the plate, knowing that if the news were good, her parents would have told her already.  
  
"Its bad news I'm afraid sweetie... You remember what he told you about pigmentation being so important to how you eye works?" Jessie only nodded this time, eyes filling with frightened tears. "Your pigmentation is not only breaking down in the surface tissue, baby. It's happening inside your eyes as well..."  
  
"But I can see fine!" Jessie screeched, throwing back the chair she sat on and running from the room. "I'm not going blind!" The two parents looked at each other as she thundered upstairs to her room and slammed the door, fear obvious on both their faces.  
  
"We had to tell her..." Mark Price addressed his wife Lila with weariness in his voice. "Didn't we?"  
  
"Yes." Lila nodded, putting her slender jaw in her hand and her elbows on the table. "But... But how much of the truth do we tell her now? If she goes blind before we tell her..."  
  
"It'll be okay." Mark came and put his arms around his wife. "We've time yet."  
  
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Jessie picked up the cordless phone in her room, thinking about calling Mia and Kerry to complain about the unfairness of it all. Scruffy scratched at the bedroom door, trying to get in to comfort his mistress. In a fit of stubborn anger she flung the phone away across the bed, punched the remote for her stereo and lay down in tears on the bed as cheesy pop music pounded through the room. 


	2. 02

Disclaimer: I do not own, nor am I making any money from, the X-Men movie- verse. Duncan and Hana belong to Corrinth, as does Ilehana Xavier should she be mentioned. Star owns Golan, should he be mentioned too. All other OCs belong to me, especially Blaze and Jessie.  
  
A/N: Post X2 spoilers, and spoilers for Corrinth's Guardians of Destiny, which incidentally is excellent so go read it! This chapter overlaps with Corrinth's Guardians of Destiny and I have pinched a paragraph from there with her kind permission. Reviews always appreciated.  
  
Scene 02  
  
The Wolverine looked tenderly down into the cot, stroking the white hair of the child who lay there with the back of his large rough hand. It was times like this he regretted that he wasn't the stay at home type. Logan smiled as his daughter mumbled softly in her sleep, remembering the day that had changed his life, the day his baby girl had been born...  
  
"I always remember how stressed Scott and Gambit were, pacing the corridor outside the hospital room waiting for news." The telepath Jean left her son's bedside on the other side of the nursery and came to stand by Logan. "Even as concerned as we were, Blaze and I had trouble keeping straight faces..." Jean glanced from Logan to the sleeping Hana.  
  
"She's a lucky kid." Logan muttered, not wanting to speak too loud in case he woke either toddler. "With one huge family of doting aunts and uncles..."  
  
"And a pair of fantastic parents." Jean finished for him, smiling. "Come on, Storm will be worrying that you're having problems up here." She guided her friend out of the darkened nursery; glad he was home at last however briefly that might be. "And there's still things that need to be done before tomorrow night, if you feel up to it?"  
  
"Sure." Lagan affirmed, a heavy weight settling back on his shoulders. However glad he was to see his daughter, her mother Storm and all the other inhabitants of the Xavier School, he was here in truth for a much sadder duty. Four years had past since the school had lost its founder, its essence, Charles Xavier, and it still struggled to feel whole without him. And to make that wound all the more raw and painful, only a year later Xavier's daughter Ilehana had too given up her human life... Wolverine shook his head to himself sadly, comforted by the fact that with every day that had gone by since, he felt the loss of his love as utterly as he had that fateful day. While he had found some brief solace in Storm's arms, they both knew that his heart would forever be the Vixen's.  
  
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They were gathered together, all the teachers and the pupils, even some mutants from outside Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, on the lawn beyond the gazebo. The spring air was cool, but the light and heat of Blaze's fireballs that edged the lawn provided more than just an outer warmth. The chatter was low, quiet, as if they were all waiting for something or someone to arrive, but they were not.  
  
Havoc felt a little uncomfortable. He'd not known either Xavier well, but his brother Scott and sister-in-law Jean had wanted him to come tonight, so traipse down here he had. Still at least his nephew Duncan was pleased to see him. And there were always other benefits to being friendly with the X- Men... Alex's eyes drifted past where his nephew was parading his collection of toy cars for his uncle's perusal, focusing on where his old university roommate Bobby Drake stood talking amicably with the eye- catching Kitty Pride...  
  
"I know it's hard to come to terms with, even after three and four years..." Blaze, the foreign languages teacher at the school, was walking across the grass with her arm comfortingly wrapped around one of her students. "But only in accepting how much their departing hurt us will we be able to keep their memories alive, do you understand?"  
  
"I guess so..." The teenager replied, wiping away a stubborn tear. Blaze smiled at her student and let go of her.  
  
"Good. Now you'd better go hit the snack table before I get over there and scoff the lot." The student did as she was asked, leaving Blaze in the company of Havoc and young Duncan.  
  
"Um, Blaze?" Alex asked the redhead as Duncan drove a truck over Alex's shoe, making engine noises. "Would you mind watching the terror for me a while? Only I really wanted to talk to Bobby while I'm here."  
  
"Of course," The Englishwoman replied knowingly, seeing Havoc watching Kitty. "Come on short stuff..." She plucked the distracted Duncan up, truck and all and heaved him onto her hip. "You've grown again little one."  
  
"Thanks." Havoc stood himself and brushed grass cuttings off his trousers and wandering purposefully over to Bobby and Kitty just as Bobby's girlfriend Rogue appeared with drinks in hand.  
  
Blaze sighed as she felt Duncan wrap sticky toddler's fingers around a chunk of her long red hair and looked around hastily for some support. Logan and Storm were entertaining little Hana; Scott and Jean talking in subdued tones to Hank McCoy and Jubilation Lee; Gambit, Nightcrawler and the four-armed Golan made an odd picture over by the gazebo...  
  
"So what do you want to do then, Duncan Charles Summers?" She asked the toddler who was now driving his truck up and down Blaze's arm and kicking his heels against her leg. "Who shall we go see?"  
  
"Hana." Duncan replied with certainty, pointing out his young playmate.  
  
"Okey dokey, Hana it is then. Maybe Uncle Logan'll take you off my hands, even if it does mean you're passed from pillar to post for the millionth time this evening."  
  
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Duncan successfully offloaded; Blaze took a walk away from her gathered friends, gloom set hard on her heart. Tears for departed friends filled her eyes, the people she'd loved and had to say goodbye to in her life, her parents, the Xaviers, and the one person who meant more to her than anyone else in the world... She hoped the student she'd counselled earlier would take comfort in her words, for Blaze could find none for herself.  
  
"There you is Chere." The Cajun approached her from behind. "Gambit thought you be ready for some food 'bout now."  
  
"Thanks Ami." She turned smiling sadly to take a plate off him. He knew her too well; the plate was heavily laden with a whole manner of fatty and sweet foods, packed with the energy she needed to keep so many tiny fireballs dancing in the darkness.  
  
"You ain't gonna like Gambit for sayin' this," He began, coming to stand besides her with his own plate, a hint of teasing in his voice. "But it kinda suit you, luggin' les petite enfants about."  
  
"You're an idiot." She sniped back quickly, trying to cover the lump that rose in her throat as his words struck home too deep. He didn't notice the strain in her voice, taking her insult with a grin.  
  
"An' you wouldn't have it any other ways."  
  
They ate in silence for a while, before abandoning the empty plates on a nearby bench. Blaze brushed her curls back out of her face, grimacing.  
  
"Its no good, I'm gonna have to get this mop cut, I've got toddler goo in my hair again." Gambit said nothing, he liked her hair long but she'd only take offence at anything he could say on the matter. Instead he wrapped an arm round her tiny waist and squeezed her to him sideways. Her matter of fact "Aw" made him let go again quickly, confused.  
  
"What's wrong Petite?"  
  
"Um, maybe this isn't the best time to be telling you this..." She met his eyes, restored to her old self a little by the worry that she saw there. This could be fun... "But I was with Kurt earlier, you know, talking... And, well, things got a little carried away..."  
  
"Kurt?" He was incredulous; Blaze forced herself to turn her back on him before she laughed out loud. Hesitantly she lifted the edge of her top, as Gambit charged a single playing card to light what it was she wanted to show him. He didn't know what it was he was expecting to see, but an intricate design of elegant black lines was not it. "A tattoo?"  
  
"Yep." Blaze nodded, trying and failing to turn her head far enough over her shoulder to see the design on the lower left portion of her back. "What did you think I was going to show you?"  
  
Gambit refused to answer, examining the pictures Nightcrawler had inscribed forever on Blaze's soft skin. A wolf's head stared balefully out from the base of a tormented fire, supported by an older man's hand extended palm upwards in friendship. On his palm, below his thumb, an X-insignia was emblazoned. To the left there were old-fashioned crossed keys, to the right a heart drawn simply as a child might. Gambit brushed the heart with a finger gently as Blaze stifled another grunt of pain.  
  
"Fire for you, Guardian, an' your parents." He spoke softly, wondering if he knew her well enough to translate all of the symbols that obviously meant a lot to her. "The wolf's Ilehana, gave everythin' so you could be stronger." Blaze nodded, holding still. "The hand the Professor's, givin' you the X-Men. Gambit was Ilehana's Key, the keys for me?"  
  
"Yes." She replied softly, hoping her best friend of so many years would approve. "I don't know why, but I always thought it fitting that the thief became the Key."  
  
"But not the keys to your heart, eh Chere?" He pocketed the card, letting darkness descend again thickly. Carefully Blaze lowered her top back over the new tattoo and turned to meet Gambit's eyes that were only half teasing. "Your heart there don't have no lock. So who it for?"  
  
"I dunno, maybe Duncan, give him twenty years." She smiled. He knew she was holding back, but tonight wasn't the night to be bringing up old arguments about her keeping secrets from him.  
  
"So new haircut, tattoo, what's next little one? Maybe get your belly button pierced again?" He put an arm casually around her shoulder and steering her back to their friends, students and colleagues.  
  
"Nah, been there, done that Rem. What do you think of tongue piercings?" He looked at her quickly, taking her laughter at his expression as clue that she had only been joking. 


	3. 03

Disclaimer: I do not own, nor am I making any money from, the X-Men movie- verse. Duncan and Hana belong to Corrinth, as does Ilehana Xavier should she be mentioned. Star owns Golan, should he be mentioned too. All other OCs belong to me, especially Blaze and Jessie.  
  
A/N: Post X2 spoilers, and spoilers for Corrinth's Guardians of Destiny, which incidentally is excellent so go read it! Reviews always appreciated.  
  
Scene 03  
  
The phone rang. A stressed out school secretary dealing with a pack of unruly school children at the hatch asked one of the more responsible kids to answer it for her and take the message. That was all it took for Jessie's world to come tumbling down around her.  
  
"Good morning, Eastville School, Mimi speaking how can I help you?"  
  
"Oh, good morning it's Dr McMahon here, ringing on behalf of Jessie Price's parents. They have asked me to update the school with regards to certain tests Jessie has had done with us. Am I cleared to speak with you about this?"  
  
Mimi thought for a moment, glancing round the office, but the secretary had been called away again. Well, she had told her to take the message.  
  
"Yes, of course."  
  
"Right, good. Now as you know Jessie was referred to us after slight unusual discolouration was noticed in her eyes. The tests we have completed imply that the discolouration will continue and accelerate both on the exterior and interior of her eyes, eventually destroying Jessie's vision. It is likely to be a genetic trait, am I to understand Jessica does not know she was adopted?"  
  
"No, she doesn't." Mimi could answer with certainty, Jessie was in her class, and if she'd ever said anything about being adopted Mimi would have remembered. Mimi wouldn't have let goody-two-shoes Jess forget either.  
  
"Well it may well be an inherited disease. Or, possibly, we are looking at the early stages of a mutation..."  
  
"Jessie's a mutant! The freak!" Mimi slapped a hand over her mouth as she realised she'd blown her cover. As the man on the other end of the phone frantically asked whom he was speaking to again, Mimi slammed the phone down and ran to find her classmates.  
  
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"Hey Jess?" Mimi whispered frantically below the teacher's monotone droning. The girl three desks away diagonally ignored the school bully's whispering and tried to concentrate on what the class teacher was saying. "Jess, it true you were adopted?"  
  
"No!" Jess turned in her seat and spat the word back at the bully. Mimi pretended to be both shocked and concerned.  
  
"Really? Only there was this guy on the phone before, Dr McMahon, and he told me you were?"  
  
"Quiet please, girls." The teacher droned as he completely lost the attention of the class, all of who were now avidly listening in to Mimi and Jess' exchange. Jessie panicked slightly, she hadn't told anyone apart from Kerry and Mia about going to the specialist. How had Mimi found out?  
  
"What else did he tell you?" Jessie asked, trying to make her voice sound incredulous and not frightened.  
  
"That you're going blind." Mimi spat at her rival. "That your eyes are breaking down and you won't be able to see at all soon." Jessie froze, if Mimi knew that then maybe she had spoken to Dr McMahon?  
  
"Don't be a freak Mimi." Kerry turned in her chair besides Jessie and growled at the bossy girl. "Jess has got nothin' wrong with her. You're the one with the problems girl!"  
  
"Kerry-Anne Stewart I will report you to the Principal." The teacher warned, but was ignored. Mia rose from her seat across the room and went to stand in support of Jess. But everyone else in the class seemed to side with Mimi, leaning over their desks and staring at Jessie as if she had grown an extra head.  
  
"I know other stuff too." Mimi folded her arms across her chest, enjoying the spotlight. "You're a freakin' mutant, girl. Bet your real parents gave you up coz of it. Bet that's why you were adopted, coz there's something wrong with you."  
  
"No! You're wrong! I'm not adopted and I'm not a mutant!" Jessie stood up suddenly, throwing her chair backwards and scaring her two friends. Her arms were ramrod straight by her sides, fists clenched in anger. "It can't be true! It can't!" And she ran from the classroom, fuming.  
  
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"Jessie, sweetie, let me in?" Her Mom crooned outside the door. Jess leant back against the door harder, bracing herself with her feet against the bottom of the bed. It couldn't be true. It just couldn't. Could it? Had everything she had ever believed in been a lie?  
  
"Jessie," Her Dad was speaking sternly for maybe the first time in his life. "Move away from the door. We need to talk to you."  
  
"No!" Jessie screamed, tears welling up in her throat. They weren't her parents, who cared what they said? But if they weren't her parents, who was? Her mind flashed back to the expressions on Mia and Kerry's faces when she had run from school. Did her best friends hate her? Had they thought she was a freakin' mutant? There weren't any mutants at Eastville School, Jessie was sure. But if she was one, then it was a bad thing. Mutants couldn't play sports for school teams, couldn't sit in an exam hall with other students in case they used telepathy to steal the answers... But she wasn't a mutant; she just had bad eyes. And she wasn't adopted either, or she would have been told by now...  
  
"Jessie please?" Her Mom pleaded, "School's phoned us, we know what happened. Mimi shouldn't have been allowed to answer the phone, especially not unsupervised."  
  
"So she was telling the truth!" Jess screamed back through the wooden door, "Not only am I goin' blind, I'm adopted and I'm a stinkin' mutant not even my own mother loved!"  
  
"Jessie your mother and I love you very much..."  
  
"You are not my parents!" What was happening to her hands? Jessica sobbed harder, looked like Mimi was right after all, damn it! She shoved her hands into her jeans pockets, refusing to look at them as they turned blacker than night.  
  
"Jessie..." Her Mom's voice gain, tearful by the tone. "We were always going to tell you. We've had you since you were nearly five months old..."  
  
"Why? You thought it'd be cool to have a mutant kid? Well it ain't exactly the latest trend at school!"  
  
"We don't know you're a mutant Jessie! That's just speculation!" Her Mom screeched back. Jessie pulled her hands back out of her pockets, scoffing that anyone could speculate what she was doing now was normal...  
  
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"What d'problem, Cherie?" Gambit came into the briefing room in a good mood. He'd been stuck in this joint too long, 'bout time Logan stopped hoggin' all the action, Guardian or no Guardian.  
  
"Using Cerebro I have detected a new mutant signature in California." Jean Summers answered, eyes still distracted by the power the Cerebro machine offered telepaths. "She seems both powerful and very, very scared..."  
  
"Not always a good combination." Remy agreed, glancing from Jean to her team leader husband Scott.  
  
"Check it out and see what you think, Gambit." Cyclops ordered. "If the parents are willing we may be able to help."  
  
"Gambit on recruitin' duty then?" He was disappointed, dreams of some serious action gone.  
  
"Yeah, so no screwing things up okay?" Scott less than half teased. Remy nodded, taking the directions from Jean and heading back out the briefing room door. 


	4. 04

Disclaimer: I do not own, nor am I making any money from, the X-Men movie- verse. Duncan and Hana belong to Corrinth, as does Ilehana Xavier should she be mentioned. Star owns Golan, should he be mentioned too. All other OCs belong to me, especially Blaze and Jessie.  
  
A/N: Post X2 spoilers, and spoilers for Corrinth's Guardians of Destiny, which incidentally is excellent so go read it! Reviews always appreciated.  
  
Scene 04  
  
A tear ran slowly, lazily down the ten-year-old's cheek, but even as she looked in the mirror she couldn't see it. But it wasn't because her vision had failed as threatened. The girl in the mirror didn't look like Jessie, didn't have any distinguishable features at all. It seemed as though all the light in the bright room was being sucked into her, making her skin throb with the energy of it, covering her in darkness so absolute it was like she had been drenched in black ink. It was a painful experience, the power of it made her head pound and her stomach lurch.  
  
Scruffy the terrier whimpered apathetically from by the bottom of the bed, distressed by the changes in his mistress, by the fear in the room. Lila and Mark sat on the bed, arms round each other in support, confusion and terror and dismay all criss-crossed across their faces. None of them knew what to say, what to do. And Jessie showed no signs of turning back to normal, as the sun dropped lower in the Californian sky she seemed only to grow darker and more vague.  
  
The knock at the door surprised them all. For a moment or so the family ignored it, but then the triple beat was repeated and with a wordless sigh Mark rose to answer it. Lila stood to follow him as a strange male voice echoed up the stairwell, but hesitated as she moved to pass her daughter. Slowly she put out a hand, daring herself to touch the mutant's skin. She watched, detached, as her shaking hand brushed her daughter's blacker-than- night hair. She felt the rush of pain up her arm before she could register that the sensation was coming from her own daughter. Lila cried out and pulled back, hand in a painful spasm as she ashamedly fled the room. Jessie sobbed harder.  
  
Through the open bedroom door she could hear raised voices, her parents fighting, spitting the words "Mutant" and "Freak" at each other like venom. The third voice, the stranger's, was the voice of reason using words like "School" and "Help". Sniffing suddenly Jessie found a reserve of strength she had not known she'd had and sneaked out onto the landing, moving from shadow to shadow to get a look at what was going on downstairs.  
  
Gambit heard the telltale creaking from upstairs, thief's instincts telling him that the child was listening in, maybe even watching them. Her parents were terrified, a horrific reaction he had witnessed too many times as doting parents realised their precious children were more than they seemed. They didn't mean to fight, to insult their daughter, but despite years of hard work by the X-Men and others like them society still did not prepare parents for the possibilities of their own children being mutants. It was still one of those 'it'll never happen to me' scenarios that all too often did happen. And all too often it led to times like now, where the only support the child would get would be if she left her home and moved right across America to the Xavier School, leaving everything she knew and loved behind her.  
  
"How can you say, Mr le Beau, that you understand what we are going through?" Mark Price was dubious, even furious. All his pent up frustration at not being able to help his daughter he unleashed now at the stranger who offered to take his daughter away. "Do you have kids? Are they mutants?"  
  
"No, I ain't got no kids." Gambit found himself snarling back, "But this ain't as uncommon as you'd t'ink. The Xavier School full of children jus' like Jessie, whose parents know it the best place for 'em at least 'til they knows how to control their powers."  
  
On the landing above, lying on her belly to look through the railings and the open door to the living room, Jessie found herself shaking silently. So this was it, she hadn't meant to hurt her Mom, but was that any reason to send her away with some strange man who just turned up on the doorstep? She watched the man warily; he was tall and muscular with a mop of scruffy brown hair, wearing dark sunglasses even though he was inside. Jessie reckoned him slightly younger than her parents, maybe mid-thirties, and his easy manner especially when talking about mutants was starting to put her parents at ease.  
  
The stranger continued to wave his hands about, telling her parents about how wonderful the Xavier School was, how committed the staff were, even how much they generally asked parents to pay out for what was essentially a top- class private boarding school in New York. New York? Jess had never in her life been out of California, New York was like the other side of the world! But her parents were quiet now, listening to the tall man. Jessie knew they were going to go for this.  
  
She couldn't be shipped off like this. She wouldn't allow it. Jessie ran back to her room, barred the door with her bed and began throwing assorted belongings into her school bag. Scruffy followed her every step like a lost soul, as if he could tell what she was about to do. The window creaked open, old paint peeling against the wood, and she climbed onto the sill as the sounds of footsteps started up the stairs. Her feet dangled over the ledge, bag on her shoulder and suddenly she realised there was no way she could drop that far to the ground. Panic pulsed through her and the glass rattled in its frame as energy ran uncontrolled out of her.  
  
There was a knock at the door, the gentle tapping of her mother's fist. Jessie twisted on the sill to lower herself as far as she could before letting go. Scruffy barked his panic as his mistress disappeared suddenly. Jessie fell quickly, closing her eyes tightly as the wind rushed past her and expecting the ground to shatter her bones when she hit it. But she didn't, finding herself caught in a man's strong grip, her eyes still tightly closed she felt another wave of energy smash out from her, heard the man gasp and almost let go.  
  
Years of recruiting frightened children to the school had taught Remy to always keep one ear on what the kid themselves was doing while he spoke to the parents. He knew as Lila was going upstairs to bring Jessie down that Jessie had other plans. With the excuse of getting some forms from his motorbike, he ran outside just in time to catch the girl before she hit the ground and broke some bones. The mutant energy she released shocked him, cramping his muscles and burning his skin, but he didn't let go of the child. After a second her unpractised attack subsided, and he put her feet on the ground.  
  
"How did you do that?" The girl asked, looking up at her unlikely rescuer. Gambit found it odd that he couldn't meet her eyes, she was like a walking silhouette, but he did his best and spoke evenly to her as though he did this everyday. Mutant kids did not do well if they thought adults were afraid of them or would treat them as different to everyone else.  
  
"Do what? Catch you Petite?"  
  
"No, I mean, that too but..."  
  
"Withstand your powers?" Gambit smiled, eyes dancing behind his shades. "There a teacher at the school who controls weather. You train wit Storm, you get struck by lightnin', nothin' else ever as painful."  
  
"You are all mutants? The pupils, the teachers, everyone at this school?" Jessie couldn't help herself from feeling just a faint speck of hope. Could these mutants accept her even though she looked so freaky?  
  
"Yeah, pretty much. You wanna come give us a try, Petite, see what you t'ink?"  
  
"I...I don't know." Jessie looked over her shoulder at her parents, stood with their arms around each other on the front step.  
  
"Its your choice, Jessie. You're old enough to decide yourself." Mark said softly, noting that besides him his wife nodded to back him up.  
  
"I think..." Jessie frowned, not that anyone could see her do it. "I think I should go. I think I need to know more about other mutants, find somewhere I can belong..." 


	5. 05

Disclaimer: I do not own, nor am I making any money from, the X-Men movie- verse. Duncan and Hana belong to Corrinth, as does Ilehana Xavier should she be mentioned. Star owns Golan, should he be mentioned too. All other OCs belong to me, especially Blaze and Jessie.  
  
A/N: Post X2 spoilers, and spoilers for Corrinth's Guardians of Destiny, which incidentally is excellent so go read it! Reviews always appreciated.  
  
Scene 05  
  
"You **hollered** Jean?" Blaze tapped her finger to her temple on the word hollered, acknowledging the telepath's work.  
  
"Yes, but on Gambit's instructions. " Jean folded her arms across her chest, lips tight. "He's brought in a new student, but she's not the most trusting type."  
  
"And he wants me not you to help settle her down?" Blaze smiled shrewdly, noting the telepath's unimpressed body language. "Don't take it personally will you?"  
  
"It's the girl I feel sorry for, latching on to Gambit like this." Jean bit back.  
  
"Which would be why he's asked for me, because I can follow his lead." Blaze pushed the door to the office open, leaving the thought that Jean couldn't stand taking orders from Remy blatantly obvious but unsaid in the air between the telepath and the fire elemental.  
  
"It not hard, Petite, you just got to relax a lil'..." Gambit sat up straight in the large chair that had once belonged to Professor Xavier. Sideways from him, positioned so the desk wasn't cutting across their conversation, a young girl emitting shimmering darkness gripped the arms of her chair as though any minute the chair would become a white-knuckle roller coaster. Blaze realised another reason why her old friend wanted her opinion on this kid, there weren't many mutants who could transform their whole body's appearance so completely. Blaze flexed her power internally, readying herself for a demonstration that the child was not alone.  
  
"I can't do it!" The child spat back. Blaze could hear sobs in the child's voice, and her heart went out to the girl. All mutants went through a period of fear of their powers, and Blaze's had been longer run than most. This child was showing all the classic signs as Gambit acknowledged his friend was there and beckoned her into their circle.  
  
"I got someone for you to meet, Petite. This Blaze, our languages teacher. She show you how easy it be to change back an' forth."  
  
"Hello..." The child offered, hesitantly. Jessie hadn't been too impressed with either of the other staff members she had met so far, the Principle Mr Summers or his wife Dr Summers. She was beginning to think this had been a big mistake. "I'm Jessie."  
  
"Nice to meet you." Blaze replied, fighting against her sudden emotions as the girl's name struck a chord within her. It wasn't possible; there must be thousands of children across America with the same name. "You having problems controlling your powers? Don't worry, it happens to the best of us."  
  
"Even him?" Jessie nodded her head at Gambit, who grinned and winked at her, folding his arms and letting Blaze take over.  
  
"Remy the best of us? I think not!" Blaze teased, extending her bare arms and feeling sudden exhilaration as she began to ripple with fire. In a fraction of a second, the flesh-and-blood redhead was replaced with a shimmering spectre cast of fire. So complete was the transformation that the room was lit up like noon, and Jessie could even see the wall through the Englishwoman. For a brief moment Blaze held herself this way, watching the child as she realised she really wasn't alone. It was a bit of a trick Blaze had to admit, she'd never been stuck as a firefly as Jessie was now a shadow, and indeed she'd only had this particular skill three years. But when it came to not controlling powers, Blaze had a stack of experience.  
  
As the room fell darker again, Blaze walked forward and took one of Jessie's hands, not flinching as the energy within Jessie fought for any way to escape via the woman. Suddenly plunged into darkness Remy realised he was still wearing his sunglasses and removed them casually to flick them onto the desk. Jessie looked from the fire elemental to the Cajun, and then gasped aloud as she saw Gambit's red-on-black eyes for the first time. Blaze frowned suddenly, just as the child in her shock dropped her guard that had been unconsciously keeping her mutant powers active.  
  
"You're not blind?" Jessie asked Gambit quickly, as slowly the ambient light began to be reflected off the girl's skin rather than absorbed into it.  
  
"No. Why?" Gambit answered, confused. He stood as Blaze, looking like she had seen a ghost, took Jessie's chin in her hand and made the girl look into her eyes. Then in shock, terror, uncontrollable emotion Blaze let the girl go.  
  
"Hey, look!" Jessie didn't seem to notice Blaze's strange reaction, standing quickly and twirling delicately in the centre of the room. "I'm normal again! And if you're not blind, maybe I'm not going blind either!" The child looked up at Gambit, and suddenly he saw what it was Blaze had reacted to. The whites of Jessie's eyes weren't yet as deeply pigmented as Remy's, seeming more blue-grey than black, but the irises had a definite red tone. His daughter?  
  
"It gettin' late." Gambit struggled to keep all emotion, all shock and all confusion out of his voice. "Dr Summers is outside, she get you food an' settle you in Petite."  
  
"Great," Jessie twirled again, grinning with a childish innocence as she left the room. Silence descended in the office, broken only by Blaze's hacking sobs. Gambit stood absolutely still, feeling like he'd just done thirty rounds with the Wolverine. He tried to speak and found he had no words to say. Screwing his eyes tight shut for a moment he tried again.  
  
"Chere, I..." Why did he sound so pathetic? Why wouldn't Blaze look at him? Had he let her down that much? He couldn't even think about who the mother might be... "I don't know who she is. I'se sorry, you know I would've told you Laura if..."  
  
"Would you?" Blaze turned on him, eyes burning, newly bobbed hair flaming. "Why? What business would it have been of mine if you'd left some poor woman with a kid somewhere?" She let him consider that for a moment, consider why he felt like he had betrayed her. Standing she dropped her eyes and failed to call her fire back into herself. Remy was not going to like what she had to say next one bit... Her heart pounded hard against her ribcage and she felt cold and aching beyond all belief. The time for keeping secrets was over. "But you didn't. You didn't leave anyone. She left you, and she had no intention of ever coming back. But you know as well as I do things don't play out the way you intend them to..."  
  
Gambit's mind went into overdrive as everything became chillingly clear. About ten years ago Blaze had left him on a yacht in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico, taken a helicopter and left him alone. A little over a year later, she had reappeared, older, sadder, broken hearted. For all these years she had not let him, nor any of the other X-Men, know why she had left or who had broken her heart. Gambit had always presumed it was some man she'd met, perhaps Archangel who'd been the reason she came back home. He'd longed for vengeance for her, but now he knew the truth.  
  
"You? You Jessie's Mom? You didn't t'ink I might wanna know I'se a daughter?" His voice started soft, hesitant but by the end of his speech he was shouting.  
  
"You think I haven't wanted to tell you every single day for all these years?" Blaze bit back, not fighting her tears, not hiding the fact she was shaking from head to foot. "But I made my decision, and no matter how much it hurt me I've stood by it!"  
  
"You lied to me! You supposed to be my best friend damn it! You t'ink I didn't deserve to know?" He crossed the room and pushed her forcefully up against the office wall.  
  
"I have never in my life lied to you Remy!" Blaze didn't gasp as he gripped her arms too hard, concentrated on not setting anything on fire despite however much she longed to. He was shaking too, she saw, so hurt that she'd kept this dreadful secret from him. But what choice had she had? Stay with the X-Men and pretend to be a happy family? Bring baby Jessica back with her when she realised she could never out-run her duty? Risk her daughter getting hurt, even killed, in the war between mutants and humans?  
  
"You t'ink I'm not good enough to raise my own kid, that it?" He saw but didn't register the floods of tears that ran down Blaze's cheeks, didn't see that he was hurting her. What had she thought he'd do? Hurt his own daughter?  
  
"No!" Blaze screamed back. "Listen to me Remy!"  
  
"Bad time?" Logan pushed the door open, eyebrow raised as he saw Gambit holding Blaze forcefully against the wall, both mutants stinking to his accentuated senses of fear and anguish.  
  
"Yeah." Gambit growled back, dropping his hands away from Blaze's arms as Wolverine let his adimantium claws glide smoothly through his knuckles, just in case the Cajun wanted some.  
  
"Tough. Sort your lovers' tiff out later, we got a call." Wolverine snarled, but Blaze wasn't having any of it. Walking towards the animalistic mutant she called on every reserve of her firepower, knowing she put irrational fear in animals. Shifting into her fire-form she didn't hold back as she had done to encourage Jessie, but piled in her anger and anguish until she saw Wolverine drop his predatory eyes.  
  
"Sort it out yourself, Logan! We're busy!" Blaze snarled, taking another step forward and seeing Wolverine buckle under the heat and brightness of her body. He managed to retain enough sense not to run from the room, but didn't see Blaze collapse empty behind him. Unthinking Gambit made a step forward towards her, but she called on her fire again, holding a fireball in her hand aimed against him. "Stay the hell away from me!"  
  
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"Where are they?" Scott asked Logan as the predatory mutant took his position on board the Eagle stealth-jet.  
  
"Not coming." Logan grunted, still ashamed that he'd been actually afraid of Blaze's show of power against him. "So don't take it out on me."  
  
"What do you mean, not coming? We need Blaze and Gambit here!" Cyclops' brown eyes flashed angry now he no longer needed to hide them behind a visor. The two ex-thieves wouldn't have had the guts to turn down Ilehana or the Professor, how dare they question his authority?  
  
"Hey, you wanna go in there and break up their fight Bub, be my guest. My guess is at least one of 'em wont be standin' when we get back."  
  
"What are they fighting about?" Kitty asked, concerned. "Will they be okay?"  
  
"Who knows Half-Pint?" Logan shrugged, keeping the few lines of argument he had overheard to himself. "But my money's on the Firefly." 


	6. 06

Disclaimer: I do not own, nor am I making any money from, the X-Men movie- verse. Duncan and Hana belong to Corrinth, as does Ilehana Xavier should she be mentioned. Star owns Golan, should he be mentioned too. All other OCs belong to me, especially Blaze and Jessie.  
  
A/N: Post X2 spoilers, and spoilers for Corrinth's Guardians of Destiny, which incidentally is excellent so go read it! Reviews always appreciated.  
  
Scene 06  
  
Gambit stopped cold in his tracks and Blaze breathed what could have easily been a sigh of relief as she reabsorbed the fireball in her hand. They'd faced off before and it was never pretty.  
  
"I don't expect you to understand or even to forgive me." Blaze said quietly, knowing that if either of them left in anger right now, it would be too long before either had the sense or courage to apologise.  
  
"Good." Was Gambit's grudging reply as he folded shaking arms across his chest in a defensive posture. For a few moments they stayed where they were, a motionless tableaux, waiting for one of them to give in to the other. As if they were still linked by the long-gone mind-bond, both of their thoughts drifted to the centre of their argument, their little girl, somewhere in the same building as them... Both their hearts leapt to their throats as they struggled to comprehend what had just happened. Blaze closed her eyes again, hot tears burning even her. When she opened them again, Remy's arms wrapped tight around her shoulders, he never could just stand by when she cried.  
  
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"Hey, what's up?" Jessie approached the basketball court where Gambit was shooting hoops by himself. He was still annoyed at the chewing out Scott had given him and Blaze when the X-Men had returned from preventing a mutant raid on a chemical factory. Perfectly dropping the ball through the net, he turned to greet Jessie with a half-hearted smile but was astounded into a full grin by how beautiful his daughter was.  
  
"Lets just say Principle Summers not too impressed wit Gambit."  
  
"Oh?" Jessie collected the ball and failed to get it through the hoop. "Has he given you detention or something?" Gambit caught the ball and tossed it back to her gently.  
  
"Somethin' like that." He smiled, "What can I do for you Petite?"  
  
"I just wanted to know, well, the kids don't call you Mister this and Miss that, so what do I call you all?" A million thoughts ran like rivers through his mind. What should his daughter call him? Dad? But no, he'd already promised Blaze that they keep this to themselves, that Jessie especially was not to know. Her big red-on-blue-grey eyes frowning up at him called him back to himself. No doubt she was Blaze's daughter then, he was far too familiar with that exact disapproving expression.  
  
"Most of the staff prefers our mutant aliases. You wont get a real name outta Rogue or Blaze or Golan. Anybody else, their first names okay I'se think. What do the other kids call 'em all?" Jessie snorted slightly; again in laughter so like her mother that Remy feared it wouldn't be two minutes before someone else figured this all out.  
  
"They've nicknames for all of you, but I'm not gonna be the one to spill the beans!"  
  
"Aww, c'mon Petite!" He grinned, "Tell Gambit an' I'se let you in on what the staff calls each other?"  
  
For a moment or so Jessie seemed to consider this, knowing there was a catch somewhere but not able to place it.  
  
"Well..." She began, "Blaze is Firefly, guess that's kinda lame huh?"  
  
"Yup." Gambit agreed amicably accepting her return pass and leaping to score again. "She bin that since before you were born."  
  
"How do you know when I was born?" Jessie asked cannily.  
  
"It all on your files Petite, or you t'ink we got you here without talkin' to your ole school as well as your parents?" Gambit filled in, but noting he'd have to talk to Blaze again about the wisdom of this plan. Their child wasn't a slow one. Somehow he was more proud than afraid. "What else?"  
  
"Logan's Snuggles," Jess found herself interrupted as Gambit laughed aloud. "No really!" She laughed back, "One of the kids has this cat, called Snuggles, or maybe it's their grandparents or something? Anyway they say Logan looks just like this mean cat when it's really annoyed. I've seen the photos, an' its gotta be said there's a resemblance!"  
  
"Snuggles eh?" A male voice came from behind them both, and Jess was mortified to see Logan retrieve the ball and come to join them. "Don't worry kid, I wont tell no-one you told me." There was an ominous creaking as Wolverine cracked his knuckles around the ball that made Jess suddenly worried for the kid with the cat. With a glint of humour in his eye, Logan jumped and lobbed the ball at the hoop. After a second of it rolling round the rim it finally fell through to Gambit's joking surprise.  
  
"You bin practicin' Logan? Or you got springs in your shoes?"  
  
"Don't get smart, Gumbo." Logan snarled his warning as Jess went to retrieve the ball again. "You got a minute?"  
  
"Yeah." Gambit conceded, ruffling Jess' red ponytail before leaving her to it.  
  
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx  
  
"What's up Sugah?" Rogue leaned around the open door to Blaze's room, seeing her colleague sat perched on the windowsill. "You still mad at Cyclops?"  
  
"Permanently." Blaze grouched. "But no, I'm just daydreaming I guess." Rogue came and stood next to Blaze, looked out of the window to see a certain Cajun playing basketball with a certain new kid.  
  
"Oh?" Rogue still had little tack, raising a fine eyebrow in Blaze's direction. "You and Remy still fightin'? You're not jealous of this girl he's adopted are you?"  
  
"Don't be ridiculous." Blaze stated, loathing Rogue's choice of words. Below Logan went to join in the game, muscles rippling at the back of his neck as he cracked his knuckles on the ball.  
  
"So what's goin' then?" Rogue persisted. "If you need someone to talk to..."  
  
"Thanks." Blaze cut her friend off, more grateful for the offer than she'd acknowledge openly. The second offer of a friendly ear since Cyclops had practically grounded the two ex-thieves for missing a mission, as Storm had already been to offer her support. If Scott didn't mind his manners and get over his inferiority complex, he'd run out of X-Men soon enough. Rogue shrugged and left, knowing when she wasn't wanted.  
  
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"What you want then Ami?" Gambit asked as soon as he and Logan were far enough from the house for their conversation to be private.  
  
"Just a friendly word of advice, Gumbo." Logan offered begrudgingly. "You don't want folk to get to know the new kid's your daughter, don't spend so much time with her. Same goes for the Firefly. It wont fool folk for long, but hopefully long enough for the kid to get control of her powers and scoot back off to wherever her adopted family are."  
  
"What the hell you know about it Wolverine?" Gambit growled, feeling there was too much common sense from Logan in that statement.  
  
"I know it wont be good for the kid, or don't you have the sense to figure that out? She wants a mentor, set Nightcrawler on it. Or Bobby. Don't screw this up or she wont ever be able to manage her powers."  
  
"This too logical for you, Logan." Gambit folded his arms and raised his chin a little, stubbornly setting barriers against his friend. "Whose you bin talkin' to?"  
  
"I ain't talked to nobody, it don't take much to keep a cooler head than you when it comes to Blaze, Gumbo. You seen she's wearing a shirt now? She's covering the bruises you gave her last night, or don't you remember? You wanna screw the kid up like you screwed up her mother, be my guest, it's your funeral."  
  
Logan stormed away, not allowing himself to regret the scathing attack he'd launched on Gambit. The Cajun needed a wake up call; there ain't no such thing as an easy way into fatherhood.  
  
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx  
  
"Blaze?" Gambit entered her room first and knocked after. She didn't know why he bothered to knock at all anymore. Blaze threw the trashy French novel away across the room, she hadn't been able to concentrate on it anyway, let it rest in pieces with the rest of the junk that covered her floor. Defensively the redhead wrapped her arms around herself as Gambit shut and locked the door behind him. Usually that was either a very good sign, or a very, very bad one.  
  
"Hello." She tried to smile and found she couldn't. There was a sternness to his expression she didn't like one bit. They'd not spoken since Scott had bawled at them, what the heck did he want of her now?  
  
"Show me you arms." So that was what this was about. She wondered who'd tipped him off, Kitty who'd seen her come out of the shower that morning with bruises on her, or Logan who must have seen how hard Gambit had been holding her when he'd walked into the room last night? Her bet was with Logan as she'd just seen them talking in the garden. Did they know Golan hadn't been far away either? Hesitantly she pushed up the sleeves of her shirt, revealing purple patches on her slender upper arms, before meeting Gambit's eyes as he spoke. "Gambit did that?"  
  
"Uh huh."  
  
"Why didn't you stop me?" His voice was aghast, he just plain didn't remember.  
  
"I would have killed you if I'd tried." She dropped her gaze, ashamed to admit that even after so long she was still battling to keep her powers under control.  
  
"I'se thinkin' maybe you should have." He was so afraid, Logan was right; he'd screwed up big time. Blaze crossed the room to him, reached up and touched his cheek with a gentle friendly kiss.  
  
"It was a rough night." She consoled him, remembering the times when he'd borne burns from her for reasons good and bad. "Logan have much to say?"  
  
"He knows." Gambit sighed, accepting Blaze's arms around him in a comforting hug.  
  
"Which means Golan knows too, seeing as he wasn't far off. And what Golan knows..."  
  
"Everybody knows." Gambit finished. Ten years worth of dark secrets, and now they ran out of time. "Guess we'd better do some explainin' quick. Only ways to make sure Jess don't find out." 


	7. 07

Disclaimer: I do not own, nor am I making any money from, the X-Men movie- verse. Duncan and Hana belong to Corrinth, as does Ilehana Xavier should she be mentioned. Star owns Golan, should he be mentioned too. All other OCs belong to me, especially Blaze and Jessie.  
  
A/N: Post X2 spoilers, and spoilers for Corrinth's Guardians of Destiny, which incidentally is excellent so go read it! Reviews always appreciated.  
  
Scene 07  
  
Hana squawked incessantly in Storm's arms as she made her way to the briefing room for this emergency meeting of the X-Men. The child was teething and constantly grumpy, the stress telling on her normally so placid mother. The unimpressed expressions on the other staff members' faces as mother and child entered the room last were the last straw for poor Ororo.  
  
"What else do you want me to do with her? She's a baby for crying out loud, I can't just abandon her!" Storm sat heavily, then wondered what she had said to make Blaze glare at her like that? Next to Ororo Golan fidgeted uncomfortably in his seat, all four arms twitching in different directions, too-wide-set eyes blinking across ways instead of up and down. Quickly Hana was too fascinated to kick up much more of a fuss.  
  
"So." Scott tried to call some order to the meeting, grateful for Jean's hand on his leg. He was clearly expecting an apology from Blaze and Gambit for their actions the previous night as he turned to speak to them. "You wanted to talk to us, Gambit? Get talking."  
  
Gambit longed to bite back at Cyclops' tone with a comment about respecting your team members. Knowing it was a waste of effort he employed an age-old tactic of winding the team-leader up, making him wait as Gambit poured himself a glass of water. But something in Blaze's sideways glance made Remy refrain from drinking the liquid before starting, she wanted this over and done with. After all, not many of the team would acknowledge the same respect for Gambit as Blaze had earned, as she was most likely about to lose. Remy looked round swiftly from one expectant face to the next, Storm, Golan, Jean, Scott, Bobby, Rogue, Kitty, Jubilee, Kurt and Logan. Well here goes nothin'.  
  
"Blaze an' Gambit not apologisin' for last night. No, Cyclops, you listen for once. Some things are bigger than a mission, bigger than the X-Men." For a moment he paused, glancing to Blaze for support. She took his hand and squeezed it, but didn't meet his eyes, preparing herself mentally for the torrent of dismay and abuse she was convinced she was about to receive. If she wasn't well enough prepared, there was no saying what she was capable of if she lost control. The thought that she should have left here long ago again crossed her mind.  
  
"Gambit?" Kitty asked hesitantly, something wasn't making sense here. These two were fighting last night, why were they acting so together now?  
  
"The girl..." Gambit stumbled over his words, looking for a friendly face and not finding one. Hell, he'd always worked best alone, why not now as well? Blaze squeezed his fingers again under the table as Bobby and Rogue exchanged very worried looks. "The girl I brought in yesterday, Jessica Price, you all seen her?" There was general assent around the table. Logan folded his arms and leant back in his chair, a clear signal that he knew exactly what was going on. Golan shifted more frantically, struggling to hold his babbling tongue as he waited for Gambit to spill the beans.  
  
"None of you notice anythin' familiar 'bout her? No, Golan, I know you know. For once keep your frog mouth shut." There were no other signs of instant agreement, Gambit sighed and ploughed on, wondering how these formidable X-Men had got so dim-witted. "I spell it out then. She mine an' Laura's daughter."  
  
"What?" Jean exclaimed, wondering how she, the Guardian of Thought, could possibly have missed knowing this? No wonder both the X-Men had been avoiding her like the plague! Bobby couldn't even form words to exclaim with, as Kitty gaped like a beached fish. Jubilee looked like she'd had the ground swept from under her feet. Always with one eye on the handsome Cajun, the Chinese-American was never any more wiling to admit than Blaze or Gambit that there was anything more to their relationship than just old friends. Rogue folded her arms stoically against her chest, what was it with these people and spontaneously breeding at the minute? It just freaked her out, made her more jealous than ever that still no way of controlling her vampire-like power had been found.  
  
"Ok, I know I've been away and everything," Rogue addressed her friends unbelievingly. "But none of you noticed nothin'? I mean, not Blaze being pregnant or anythin'?"  
  
"If I didn't know, how the hell any of them supposed to figure it out, Cherie?" Gambit questioned Rogue across the table.  
  
"That was what you were fightin' about last night? Why you wouldn't come on the mission?" Bobby put two and two together and like the good information technology teacher he was made four. "You never told him?"  
  
All eyes fell cold and judgemental on Blaze. Storm realised now why Blaze had glared so threateningly at her earlier words, and clutched her own daughter tighter. A lump rose in Kurt's throat, not sure if he could believe that warm and loving Blaze had ever done what it appeared she had. Scott took his wife's hand in his as both of them felt how empty and desperate they would be if ever parted from their son.  
  
"Judge me all you want." Blaze's words were no louder than a whisper, hotter than seething flame. "Professor Xavier didn't really understand either, though he pretended otherwise. And unlike some telepaths I know, Ilehana had the good sense never to pry."  
  
Jean pulled back her searching powers as every pair of eyes in the room fell suddenly on her. Scott knew that he had to take command of the situation before it got any more out of control. Why hadn't Blaze and Gambit just come to him privately with this?  
  
"Then we've got two choices." Cyclops offered, "I cannot let you tell the girl, so either she goes home untrained and we forget all this ever happened. Or we don't let her take languages, and Gambit leaves in the morning instead of Logan to track down Mystique. If you two keep clear of Jessica, you'll do the least damage both to her and the school's reputation..."  
  
"Do Blaze an' I get a say? Or we scrappin' every last bit of democracy round here Cyclops?" Gambit asked, leaning back in his chair with a fist on the table and a hand in his pocket brushing a playing card.  
  
"Jessica was legally adopted, am I right?" Blaze nodded knowing what Scott was about to throw at them, what Gambit hadn't quite come to terms with yet. "Then you don't get a say, you've no rights to her at all Gambit."  
  
"Tough!" Gambit exclaimed, slamming his fist down on the table so hard it made the glass of water shake. "Gambit will stay away from Jessica, but I ain't leavin' the school jus' now."  
  
"You said it yourself, Gambit, this isn't a democracy." Cyclops cautioned.  
  
"No it a infuriatin' dictatorship an' I'm through doin' what you tell me to do Cyclops! If you were half the leader Ilehana or the Professor were..."  
  
"Gambit that's out of order." Jean cut in, defending her husband who'd gone a glossy shade of white. "You don't like it round here, leave."  
  
"An' do what he wants me to? No. Gambit belong here, with his daughter!" And with that Remy rose sharply and exited the room.  
  
For a moment the room was icy-still. Nobody moved, or even dared to breathe. Kurt moved first, teleporting out of the room again without a word. Kitty didn't wait for the doors to slide open, walking straight through them in her own tumult of thoughts. The others followed at their own paces, until Blaze was left alone in her seat with Storm and Hana.  
  
"Blaze?" The eloquent African asked in a quiet voice, not liking the empty look to Blaze's eyes, the flushed colour of her cheeks. "I... I'm sorry, for before. My words were unkind."  
  
"You didn't know Ororo." Blaze forced herself to look over to her friend and the baby in her arms. "If only I could turn back time..."  
  
"We do what we can, Blaze. We cannot grasp the future as we make our choices, you weren't to understand this would work out like this."  
  
"I know." Blaze admitted softly. "I've only ever tried to protect them, Remy and Jessica. Now what I've done may destroy them both... If Rem leaves he wont come back. If Jess finds out what we're keeping from her, she may never control her powers, the emotions and deceit would be too much for her."  
  
"And you?" Storm asked. "Have you thought about how you can deal with this? It can't be easy to see your child just there and have to pretend she's a stranger?"  
  
"No more easy than it's been to pretend she didn't exist to Rem all these years. I manage. Baring secrets is something I've got rather good at."  
  
"Give it time," was all that Storm could say to that, "It may work out fine, when the shock wears off a little."  
  
"I hope so..." Blaze answered, touching Hana's cheek with a warm finger. "But look after Hana, Ororo. Don't ever give her up..." 


	8. 08

Disclaimer: I do not own, nor am I making any money from, the X-Men movie- verse. Duncan and Hana belong to Corrinth, as does Ilehana Xavier should she be mentioned. Star owns Golan, should he be mentioned too. All other OCs belong to me, especially Blaze and Jessie.  
  
A/N: Post X2 spoilers, and spoilers for Corrinth's Guardians of Destiny, which incidentally is excellent so go read it! Thank you to my sister for a whole list of young-people type exclamations of which I am informed 'mint' is only slightly less impressive than 'beast'. No, I don't understand it either. Reviews always appreciated.  
  
Scene 08  
  
Storm was proved right, after the initial shock from the X-Men things did begin to settle down once again, and the Guardians of humanity realised each in their own ways that they had grown to love the simple routines of the school without surprises. Logan came and went as he had always done, Blaze and Gambit avoided Jessica as their child blended in seamlessly with the other pupils. The two old associates hesitantly found themselves able to talk to each other as friends again, and the other X-Men could approach both of them without fear of their lives. But most of all, Jessie was happy.  
  
The child found acceptance with the other mutant children, who did not avoid her gaze or call her names. She had not lost control of her powers in weeks, and was relieved to receive a clean bill of health from Jean; she was not going blind after all. Jessie asked the doctor about why Dr McMahon would have said such a thing, but the only answer Jean could give the child was that even now human doctors found it hard to understand and diagnose mutant physiological changes. When Jessie's classmates scampered off to Blaze's beginners' languages class, Jessie went for her private tutor sessions with Jean and never considered she might be missed.  
  
A few more weeks of term went by, and suddenly Jessie was not even the new kid anymore. A couple whose nephew had already been a pupil at the school brought in their own son. His name was Leon, a distracted and uncommunicative, dangerous child. His parents made it chillingly clear to Scott that they did not expect nor want their son home in the holidays. The fear Logan smelt from the boy whenever an adult was near him could only allude to some kind of abuse. Most of the faculty's worries about Jessica dissipated when faced with this new problem child.  
  
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"Do you think that Alex will ever pluck up the courage to ask Kitty out then Ami, or are they going to keep dragging this out until we have to take matters into our own hands?" Blaze asked Remy, feeling for some reason in a more jovial mood than usual. It could be that as they left the mansion together, the sun was oozing golden and warm through the clouds, and there was a whiff of summer on the gentle breeze. Blaze had always been a summer kind of person...  
  
"Gambit don't know," He smiled, obviously plotting some devious way of speeding up Alex's longwinded courtship. "Maybe a lil flirtin' in order, you know? There ain't nothin' like jealousy to give a guy motivation, non?"  
  
"So that's where I've been going wrong all these years." Blaze joked back, eyes wandering over the grounds, the girls riding ponies across the grass, teenage boys playing American football with much shouting and joking. The new boy, Leon, was alone on the basketball court. The children were still avoiding him then? But no, as the ball bounced free of the eleven-year- old's unpractised hands, another child went to retrieve it for him. The scene hit Blaze in slow motion as she watched Jessica grab the ball and turn to offer it back boldly to Leon. In a fit of possessive madness, Leon's eyes flashed and rotated, pupils becoming slit-like reptilian monstrosities, giant hinged fangs dropping ominously in his gaping red mouth, hissing harsh in the back of his throat.  
  
Blaze barely registered Gambit's shout of "Leon! No!" as both X-Men threw themselves across the distance. The boy struck with viper-like speed and agility, but Gambit tackled him to the ground just in time. Blaze barrelled into Jessica, barely feeling on the edges of her irrational terror the pulsing of Jessica's mutant attack flooding her muscles. Mother and child collapsed shaking to the floor, Jessie black as night in her terror.  
  
"Mommy! I want my Mommy!" Jessie sobbed whilst it took all of Blaze's control not to answer, to just hold the child. At least the initial outburst of Jessie's mutant defences had been just that, an outburst. As Blaze felt her own heart beat slow, she pulled back from her daughter just a touch so she could look at her.  
  
"Kurt, take this idiote to Principle Summers." Gambit demanded, pushing Leon before him to Nightcrawler. "I don't want to see him again no time soon."  
  
"No problem." Kurt obliged, trusting that Leon would not turn on an adult seeing how much he feared them, he put a hand on the boy's shoulder and they both disappeared.  
  
"Jessie?" Gambit threw himself to his knees beside his daughter and Blaze. "It okay Petite, he gone."  
  
"Shush, Jessica, its alright." Blaze found her voice to back Remy up, stroking Jessica's curly red ponytail as it became visible again. The boys who had been playing football gathered around at a distance, watching. Some of them appeared on the verge of spotting something of colossal importance in the scene between Blaze, Gambit and Jessie, but none of them said anything.  
  
"Thank you." The child sniffed, almost ashamed that she had been so scared. But if her teachers were shaking too, then maybe it didn't matter?  
  
"You did very well to control your power." Blaze praised, trying to turn the experience into a positive lesson. "You hardly zapped me at all, well, not for long anyway."  
  
"But if he'd bit me, then I wouldn't have been able to stop him." Jessie answered pragmatically. Gambit smiled.  
  
"You thinkin' too much Petite. You did good, in fact better than Blaze here could manage when she got her powers." Jessie frowned up at him at that, a frown mirrored almost exactly by Blaze's. Did he want to terrify the child even more, bringing Blaze's past into this? Fortunately the boys had begun to go back to their game, break time was nearly over after all.  
  
"How old were you?" Jessie turned her frown on Blaze.  
  
"Fifteen when I got my powers." Blaze grimaced at the memories. "Sixteen when I met Prince Charming here. And about twenty-one before I could even begin to control my powers properly, when the school's founder Professor Charles Xavier took me in."  
  
"Twenty-one!" Jessica exclaimed, pulling back from Blaze's grip to sit cross-legged on the ground. "That's ancient! What did you do in the mean time, before you came here? Bet you burnt down loads of stuff dincha? How long you been here anyway? And how long have you two known each other? And...?"  
  
"Hey hey, let me answer a few questions before I forget where I'm up to!" Unlikely as that was with her stupendous photographic memory, Blaze held up her hands in a gesture of surrender. She shot an evil look at Gambit who shrugged and nodded to Jess' now rapt and unafraid expression. Blaze still wasn't sure this was such a good idea.  
  
"Firstly little miss, twenty-one is not ancient, at least not in comparison with thirty-three, which is how old I am now. And that's absolutely nothing in comparison with Gambit's astounding, what, thirty-four years?" Gambit nodded, leaning back with one hand supporting his weight on the grass. "Astounding mostly because I would have bet someone would have put him out of his misery by now." Jessica giggled at that, and Blaze couldn't help but smile with her. Gambit only rolled his eyes, as if it hadn't been tried enough times. "And if you've paid any attention in Jubilee's maths lessons then you'd know how long that means I've been here, been an X-Man."  
  
"Twelve years? Eek!" Jessie exclaimed. "That's longer than I've been born!"  
  
"And how long have I had the dubious pleasure of knowing Gambit?"  
  
"Wow, wait a minute..." To Gambit's obvious amusement Jess put out all ten dainty fingers, counting them off with a thoughtful expression on her face and tongue peeking out of the corner of her mouth. "Mint, seventeen years!" Gambit realised he didn't actually know himself and was kinda glad when Blaze affirmed Jessie's answer. "You never thought of just marrying each other or somethin'?"  
  
Before Blaze or Gambit could come up with a reply suitable enough for young ears, another voice cut across the discussion.  
  
"What's going on here? Are you okay Jessica?" The child looked up at the gloomy silhouette of her Principle standing over them and nodded.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine Mr Summers. Gambit and Blaze were just telling me about themselves a bit, you know, being friendly." Blaze had to bite her tongue to stop herself from smiling at Jessica's almost innocent and completely unguarded insult to Cyclops. "But I guess I'm late for lessons again? New school, same complete lack of timekeeping." Jessie stood and dusted herself off, giving a startlingly good impression of Scott in disciplinarian headmaster mode. Even the stressed out team leader couldn't help but smile as the child scarpered.  
  
"You think that was wise?" Scott didn't wait for his X-Men to stand up before he began his tirade. Gambit stood quickly and offered Blaze a hand, deliberately turning his broad-shouldered back on Cyclops. "I thought we'd covered this already?"  
  
"T'ink of it as a maths lesson." Gambit smiled coolly. He put an arm round Blaze's waist as they both smiled innocently back at the fuming Scott and Remy steered his friend back into the school. Cyclops was left alone, never having felt such a lack of control over his team whilst he had been their sole leader. Couldn't Blaze and Gambit see how their actions regarding Jessica threw more than just the child's future into danger? They were undermining him so much he didn't know if he could even trust them anymore. And as X-Men, he needed to know he could trust them with his life... 


	9. 09

Disclaimer: I do not own, nor am I making any money from, the X-Men movie- verse. Duncan and Hana belong to Corrinth, as does Ilehana Xavier should she be mentioned. Star owns Golan, should he be mentioned too. All other OCs belong to me, especially Blaze and Jessie.  
  
A/N: Post X2 spoilers, and spoilers for Corrinth's Guardians of Destiny, which incidentally is excellent so go read it! Reviews always appreciated.  
  
Scene 09  
  
The cool air billowed softly around the woman as she sat cross-legged on the grass decorated with evening dew. Her eyes were closed in peace and serenity as darkness continued to descend with ferocity, her breathing slow and even, soft hair brushing her cheeks like curling tendrils.  
  
"What are you doing?" A child's voice asked, intrigued. Blaze didn't open her eyes as she smiled.  
  
"Meditating." She let out a long sigh and opened her eyes to the darkness. "What are you doing out of bed?"  
  
"Practicing." Jessica replied. Sure enough, as Blaze lifted a handful of fire as a torch, she could not see the child at all. "An' I couldn't sleep." Jess shook her head and concentrated, becoming visible again. "What's meditatin'?"  
  
"It's a relaxation technique really. I was taught to use it a long time ago by a little old woman in Paris. With a few tricks Gambit taught me later on to keep my cool, it was, still is, the best and only way for me to control my powers." Blaze made an offer she knew Scott would frown upon, but she couldn't help herself. "Would you like me to teach you? I've already helped a few of the students, and even some X-Men..."  
  
"Gambit?" Jess pried, trying to picture the Cajun sat, as Blaze was now, on the lawn in this secluded corner of the mansion's grounds, back to the house, old gazebo away to the side...  
  
"No, as far as he's concerned its all mumbo-jumbo." There was tenderness in Blaze's voice as she remembered the few times she'd conned Remy into trying it, usually after a few beers. Mostly he'd been too self-conscious of sitting as she was now to relax enough, but then again he had looked more than a little ungainly...  
  
"Then nah, no thanks." Jessica plopped herself down ungracefully on the grass beside the teacher anyway, mimicking her cross-legged posture with her chin supported in her hands. "I'd rather just gossip really, if you don't mind?"  
  
"Of course not, what's bothering you Jessica?"  
  
"I dunno, stuff. Why my parents haven't been to visit like they promised?" Blaze winced at the hurt in Jessie's voice, wondering if it was Jessie's adopted family's decision or Scott's that kept them away.  
  
"You've not been here that long, Jess. And it's a long way to California from New York just to pop in for a few days. Maybe they're saving to come over for a longer visit."  
  
"I guess..." Jessica didn't sound too convinced, and Blaze swore to find out as soon as the opportunity presented itself. But Jessie had already put her misery to one side, chin up and now thoroughly red-on-black eyes sparkling she spoke again. "So what's goin' on with Iceman and Rogue? Everyone says they're like, in love or something, but I've never seen them kiss?"  
  
"They are." Blaze smiled, knowing that right now Rogue would be curled up asleep under Bobby's arm, both dressed head to foot in gloves, socks, thick training gear bound at wrists and ankles to stop it riding up, scarves and so on for the privilege. "But Rogue's power means she can't touch anyone without hurting them, Bobby included."  
  
"Oh." Blaze could see Jessie was too young yet to truly understand the curse of Rogue's power. Good, innocence faded to fast... The child again pushed her thoughts aside to mull over later, living cheekily for the here and now she wondered how far she could press Blaze... "What about you and Gambit? You ever dated?"  
  
"Maybe..." Blaze's eyes narrowed as she wondered what her daughter was up to? "Why?"  
  
"Hey, don't get all grown-up on me." Jessie giggled. "I may be just a kid but I'm not stupid! I've seen the way you look at him..."  
  
"Yeah? How's that?" Blaze defensively folded her arms across her chest, then dropped them again as she realised whom it was she was driving away with that body language.  
  
"Like my Mom looks at my Dad," Jessie laughed as she illustrated her point by batting her eyelashes and making puppy-dog eyes. Blaze frowned at the irony of the child's words. "Or Cyclops looks at Jean."  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about." Blaze griped with her pulse racing and feeling a little queasy round the edges. She did not need this right now!  
  
"Yeah you do!" Jessie crawled onto her knees, looked Blaze right in the eye and held her mother's gaze. "You're in love with him, ain't you?"  
  
Anybody else. Any other time or place. Even if Jessica had not made such startling eye contact, Remy's eyes daring her to deny it... Could Blaze lie to her daughter?  
  
"Yes." An admission of defeat, uttered as a challenge. "I've been in love with Remy almost as long as I've known him..."  
  
"Uh-oh." Jessie muttered looking strangely past Blaze. Blaze turned on the spot, motion freeing fireballs from her to light the dark up like day. Gambit stood there, holding two pizza boxes, dark trench coat billowing around him. And from the look on his face, he'd heard everything. 


	10. 10

Disclaimer: I do not own, nor am I making any money from, the X-Men movie- verse. Duncan and Hana belong to Corrinth, as does Ilehana Xavier should she be mentioned. Star owns Golan, should he be mentioned too. All other OCs belong to me, especially Blaze and Jessie.  
  
A/N: Post X2 spoilers, and spoilers for Corrinth's Guardians of Destiny, which incidentally is excellent so go read it! You'd be right in thinking I've adapted a few song lyrics and titles for this chapter, if anyone wants to know what they are send me an email and I'll explain. Absolute thank yous as always when I write emotional scenes to my wonderful boyfriend, you are my inspiration. Reviews always appreciated.  
  
Scene 10  
  
"Rem, I..." Blaze and Jessica both stood to greet Gambit as he stood like a statue in the soft darkness. Jessie tried to smile, alleviate the sudden well of tension that oozed up to swallow the adults, but they didn't notice her efforts. Never before in her life would Blaze have been so glad to drop dead, be eaten up by the cold earth. But she didn't and wasn't, knowing that with every second that Gambit just stood there cast in stone to her she had to say something. But what in all existence could she say?  
  
"I'll take those..." Jess sidled up to Gambit and took the pizza boxes out of his slipping grip, before heading off into the night calling back "I'll be in the gazebo..."  
  
"Je suis vraiment désolé..." Blaze, Laura apologised sincerely whilst avoiding Remy's eyes. French seemed so much more suitable than English, how they'd conducted their first conversations so many years ago. "Je n'avias pas l'intention de..."  
  
"Don't apologise Laura." There was so much feeling in his tone that he forced her to look at him. The second their eyes met, Blaze felt her breath dragged out of her. Was this how it was to end? Friendship destroyed by the clumsy words of their own daughter?  
  
"But I..." She tried to speak again and so quickly ran out of words. Seventeen years and now she ran out of things to say, of clever replies, easy dismissals, and sharp responses to cover how she felt, to protect the man she loved and was so afraid to lose. The first cut is the deepest, and Gambit was scarred beyond belief even before Blaze had met him. She knew with death-like certainty he could not return her feelings.  
  
"Shush." Remy told her gently, steeling himself to move closer to her, take her shivering hand in his, drink in her deep brown eyes as if for the last time under the cruel starlight. "Don't try an' explain. Don't try an' do anythin'." What now, he thought, stalling for time. Seventeen years and he'd never prepared himself for this night. Sure, they slept together, but it was an infrequent and almost distant affair. Never in so many years had they woken the following morning besides each other as a couple might. Never would they admit how much each had transformed the other. Why? Fear? If so, of what? Men like the deceased Alessandro Jacobi who would try to use their feelings as weapons against them? It had driven them apart when they were so close to a mysterious truth before. But what of now, tonight? What was he afraid of?  
  
Blaze's eyes dropped to the floor and she withdrew her hand from his grasp with practiced ease. Give Remy a second; he'd come up with some reason for him to be leaving. Let him go and she'd never see him again, but what else could she ever do? Become so bitter she'd do anything to destroy him and any girl who ever got close to him again? She wouldn't be the first, second or third to try it. But after a few moments that lasted as long as the earth he was still stood there. So close, almost close enough to hear his heart beating, almost close enough for her to begin to hope... But she couldn't allow herself that luxury.  
  
"If you're leaving, then go." She stuttered, through her mutation always so emotional and now so near to breaking down. "I won't blame you, you owe me nothing. You were always going to find this out sometime, that I love you."  
  
"Chere..." He started, longing that she'd look at him. "Laura, Gambit know for ten years... L'amour pas par degré..." She glanced up as he quoted the words she'd used almost as a weapon against his ex-fiancée Belladonna. Love not by degree. He held her eyes again, captivated her like a frightened deer facing the headlights alone. "But you left then and Gambit never got a chance to reply. All these years since, you bin so hurt I'se thought there nothin' left for me."  
  
"Now you know why." Laura whispered, not able to breathe in the closeness of the night, the nearness of his body, the longing for his kiss.  
  
"Now I know." He echoed in a heartfelt whisper of his own, lowering his lips to hers as she reacted and tilted her head to the stars, eyelashes brushing her cheek, hair so soft to his touch. In the second before his lips brushed hers he admitted so softly "I love you too."  
  
And they understood, for the first time, what was meant to be between them. Falling in love was just part of the plan. A kiss so tender passed between them they half wondered why this had taken them so long. But then all thoughts were lost as his hands stroked her spine and hair, her long elegant fingers found their way to run over the back of his neck. Gasping breath clouded the cold air, ribbons of ardent fire wrapped around both their bodies like ancient magic, demanding they both surrender...  
  
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"Beast!" Jessie laughed out loud as she saw what was happening, exclaiming as positively as she knew how. "But yuk anyway!" Blaze pulled away fractionally first, smiling, honestly happy. Gambit held his eyes closed, savouring her sweet taste, heart pounding and somewhere that small voice he had cultured to protect himself telling him he was a fool. He forcefully shut it up, condemned it to an old life he wanted no more of. He opened his eyes and was rewarded with Laura's so innocent smile, brown eyes so deep he could drown in them...  
  
"Pizza's going cold!" Jessie leaned right over the railing of the gazebo to yell at them. "I'll eat it all if you don't get over here... Wow that was quick!"  
  
"Hey, I haven't eaten yet tonight!" Blaze announced, unable to stop smiling as she wrenched a pizza box off the child and opened it.  
  
"Not since dinner anyways." Gambit offered slyly, reaching over his partner's shoulder to pinch the first slice.  
  
"Eugh!" Blaze exclaimed as Jessica too took a piece. "What with the olives Rem? You know they're about the only food I can't stand."  
  
"It the only way to stop you eatin' it all before anyone else gets some." Gambit offered, smiling as he took a seat, long legs stretched out in front of him. Comfortable, he took and charged a card as a makeshift campfire, placing the glowing ace of hearts in the centre of the gazebo floor and keeping a finger on it to stop it from exploding. Jessie laughed as she sat opposite, leaning on the railing and beginning to pluck the olives off the pizza slice herself. Hesitantly Blaze sat besides Gambit, relieved as he wrapped an arm around her, pulling her closer. He felt it too then, this undeniable need to be close right now? Giving in she leant back against him, enjoying the warmth of his body against hers. The first pizza box on her knee, Blaze took the olives from her slice and added them to a remaining piece.  
  
"You order this icky stuff, you can bloomin' well eat it." Blaze told him, still not able to offer an expression darker than a sweet smile. Jessica was rapt, on the verge of a fit of giggles.  
  
"I can't wait until I can tell everyone!" The child admitted. "This is so the best gossip since I got here!"  
  
"Don't you dare!" Warned Blaze, blushing at the thought of all those pupils finding out about this, let alone all the X-Men...  
  
"Oh yeah?" Countered Remy at the same time, "An' whatcha gonna say about bein' out of bed at this hour? You be grounded 'til forever."  
  
"Oh..." Jessie sulked, pouting just like her Dad, Blaze thought. "Well you better just tell everyone soon anyway, or I don't think I'll be able to keep quiet." There was honesty more than any threat in Jess' voice, for which both her parents were very proud. "And if you ever, you know, get married or anything, I wanna be a bridesmaid, seeing as I set you up and all."  
  
Even as Blaze blushed at the thought, Remy leaned forward and brushed his daughter's cheek with a finger, smiling. They'd waited so long for someone to put them together, how fitting it was their own child...  
  
"That you did, little one. And thank you." 


	11. 11

Disclaimer: I do not own, nor am I making any money from, the X-Men movie- verse. Duncan and Hana belong to Corrinth, as does Ilehana Xavier should she be mentioned. Star owns Golan, should he be mentioned too. All other OCs belong to me, especially Blaze and Jessie.  
  
A/N: Post X2 spoilers, and spoilers for Corrinth's Guardians of Destiny, which incidentally is excellent so go read it! Reviews always appreciated.  
  
Scene 11  
  
"You want tea Laura?" Remy asked gently of the redhead stood so close next to him as the kettle boiled.  
  
"Better make it coffee." Blaze yawned, meeting his eyes with a tender smile, wishing they were still curled up in bed rather than preparing for another day. But they'd lingered there together too long already that morning...  
  
"Late night?" Bobby asked; eyebrow raised with a smile. Besides him at the kitchen table Jubilee munched avidly on her cornflakes and Rogue flicked through the morning paper with her own coffee steaming. Kitty leant on her elbows as she waited for the toaster to release the toast it was holding hostage. Screams and yells came from the dining room down the hall, where the children ate breakfast under Kurt's relaxed watch.  
  
"Early mornin'." Gambit smiled as he dropped heaped spoonfuls of instant coffee in two mugs. Blaze only yawned again, leaning on her love's shoulder with her eyes closed and dopey grin on her face.  
  
"Blaze, hon, you best be careful or your face'll stick like that." Jubilee grumbled, waving her spoon around in mid air. "What's goin' on with you two anyhow?"  
  
"Yeah," Kitty contributed, growing bored of waiting and reaching through the toaster to pull out her breakfast, dropping the slices on the counter as she burnt her fingers. "Normally mornin' after you two are all, like, avoidin' each other an' stuff."  
  
"Hum." Gambit poured the boiled water carefully as Blaze heaved the milk from the table like it weighed as much as a baby elephant. Thinking up excuses and explanations before she'd had her daily caffeine injection was not her strong point, so at Gambit's glance she shrugged, blushing slightly.  
  
"Up to you." Blaze took a gulp of her too hot coffee, grimaced and reached for the sugar bowl. Four pairs of eyes put Remy on the spot.  
  
"We got set up." He shrugged, putting an arm around Blaze's slim waist. "Big style. By Jess."  
  
"You didn't?" Rogue looked up suddenly as the bell rang to signify the start of lessons. "She don't know right?"  
  
"Course not." Blaze calmed her friend's fears as all five teachers began to make their ways to the door. Gambit grabbed Blaze's trailing arm before she could escape and kissed her softly.  
  
"Busy day today?" He asked, hopeful her answer would be no.  
  
"Yeah," She sighed. "Lessons all day, then I'm tutoring Clara in Spanish this evening. Why Scott thought he'd sign a French girl up for second language French I've no idea, but I can't honestly put her in for that exam, so Spanish it is..."  
  
"So bunk off, let Gambit take you somewhere nice?"  
  
"I can't, Scott'll kill me." Blaze kissed him again softly before leaving. "See you at lunchtime?"  
  
"It a date." He smiled at her back, shaking his head slightly, wondering what he'd got himself into this time. Then he went back to his coffee, poached Rogue's abandoned newspaper and swiftly polished off Kitty's untouched toast.  
  
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But lunchtime found Gambit with Bobby breaking up a game of tig that had gotten too violent. Blaze and Ororo sat with Golan indoors, enjoying a moments quiet from their respective languages, humanities and geology classes. Storm spotted the strange car coming up the drive first, and asked her colleagues if they knew about a visit planned for today at all?  
  
"No." The four armed earth mutant Golan replied, blinking his strange eyes slowly in confusion. Normally speaking he knew everything that was going on at the school, made it his business to know. "No, no one told Golan dey was coming, no." Storm nodded her acknowledgement, well used to Golan's babbling speech.  
  
"There's no kid, so it's not a drop-off." Blaze went to the window to see if she recognised the faces in the car. "And I don't recognise them, so they've not been here before."  
  
"I'm sure if its important Cyclops will fill us in." Storm tried to close the subject though something was still bothering her slightly. Perhaps Blaze put a finger on it with her reply.  
  
"Are you? We all know he's trying to run this place pretty much by himself these days, trying to live up to his own imaginings of what the Professor and Ilehana would have wanted him to do. I'm sure if it weren't for Jean he would have cracked up already. It's been weeks since he's really told us anything we needed to know."  
  
Golan's eyes met Storm's in a puzzled glance, had he really just heard Blaze openly criticising the leader of the X-Men, not in the heat of an argument but in logical, educated conversation? And perhaps more importantly, did she have a point?  
  
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**Gambit, Blaze? ** Jean's telepathic voice cut across whatever it was Blaze had been about to ask her class. **Please come meet me outside Scott's office. **  
  
"Yes boss." Blaze muttered sarcastically under her breath before addressing her waiting pupils. "I have to go, mes enfants. Don't kill each other on the way out, okay?" Even before she'd reached the door chaos had already erupted behind her, the joys of working with children.  
  
"Any idea what Jean wants Amie?" Remy asked her when he caught up with her.  
  
"Probably just calling us in for Scott to have another go at. Doubtless for having romantic relations without prior permission or something..."  
  
**Don't be so harsh on Scott, Blaze. He's doing a very difficult job here. ** Jean's telepathic voice cut in again, making Blaze scowl. **And he doesn't know I've called you, so my guess is it will be me he's angry with, not you. **  
  
**Why, Jean? ** Blaze asked, confused. Her past loyalties to Jean's long- term rival Ilehana had not left any room for Blaze to get to know Scott's wife, not something she usually rued. But it made this sudden call all the more confusing, why would Jean want to help them?  
  
**Jessica's adoptive parents are here, talking with Scott now. They are pulling her out, and wont give a reason. I feel something is very wrong and I thought you might be able to help... **  
  
Blaze and Gambit rounded the corner at a run, took in Jean's concerned expression in a microsecond and burst into Scott's meeting without even knocking. Jean followed them; closing the door behind them and offering her husband a brief telepathic apology. Could he understand why she had done this? If the meeting had been between strangers deciding Duncan's future, would he be able to stand back and let their son be taken away from them? But Scott refused her explanation. That was different, Duncan was their son in every way, and Jessica was Gambit and Blaze's daughter in genes only.  
  
"What's this?" Mark Price asked, glancing from the three new arrivals back to the Principle. "Our decision on our daughter's future suddenly is under debate by your whole staff?"  
  
"No, Mr Price, I'm sorry about this..." Scott stood to stop the progress of the X-Men into his office. "This isn't the time people, give me half an hour..."  
  
"Please," Blaze ignored Cyclops and turned frightened liquid brown eyes on the couple to which she had all those years ago given the right to raise Jessica as their own. "Don't take Jessie away, at least not right now. She's happy here, she's learnt so much..." Was she going to lose her child again just as Blaze had begun to find where she belonged?  
  
"Why is it any of your business?" Lila snapped, on edge. "As educators surely you know the best place for a child is at home, with their family? I'm sure you've done everything you can for Jessie, but as we've already discussed with the Principle, our minds are made up."  
  
"What does this have to do with?" Jean pried as Scott's beautiful chestnut eyes narrowed against her. "Are there changes you'd like making to her curriculum or..."  
  
"This ain't got nothing to do with Jess." Gambit cut across Jean's questioning. "You were so happy for her to come here when I came callin'. Maybe the house too quiet without her, or walking the dog too much hard work? You want her back for yourselves, that it?"  
  
"How dare you!" Lila stood up and yelled at Gambit. "How dare you stand here and accuse us of being that selfish! We are concerned for Jessie's health, that's all. She told us on the phone the doctor here has given her a clean bill of health. But the specialist she was seeing in California is insistent that cannot be the case."  
  
"Ahem," Jean cut in, angry that her medical expertise was being called into question. "May the said doctor have a word in her own defence?"  
  
"This all about Jessie's eyes?" Gambit cut across Jean again, but this time she sided with the Cajun. Scott, however, did not.  
  
"Gambit," He warned harshly. "Say what you're thinking right now and you are fired."  
  
"Fire him Scott and I leave too." Blaze cut back, glaring at Cyclops with fury.  
  
"Nobody's firing anybody!" Jean tried to calm the situation. "They own part of the school too, Scott, you can't just sack them!"  
  
"Look at me." Gambit ignored Scott's threats, ignored Jean's pleading, even ignored Blaze's outburst. "I not have a familiar look to you? Or maybe you people fooled coz I'm not blind?"  
  
Mark and Lila swallowed almost in unison, doing as this angry schoolteacher told them. Could it be? Blaze came and stood besides Remy, slipping her hand into his clenched fist, raising her tearful eyes to meet the confused adoptive parents.  
  
"Please don't take our daughter away from us..."  
  
"You can't be..." Mark stuttered, looking from Blaze to Gambit like he was seeing ghosts. Jean folded her arms across her chest and scowled openly at the adoptive parents.  
  
"Trust me, they are. I have done all the necessary DNA tests and there is no doubt that Laura and Remy are Jessica's biological parents. Unless perhaps your Californian specialist would like to disagree with my medical expertise on this matter too?" Mark and Lila didn't even look at Jean as she spoke, though she could sense how deeply her words cut them both.  
  
"Our daughter, not yours." Lila admonished Blaze; barely believing what she was hearing but knowing she had to make a stand. "You gave her up, a tiny baby..." The woman choked on the words, unable to bear children of her own she had never understood, could never understand why anyone would give such a perfect child away like Jessie's natural parents had. Now confronted with them they hardly seemed the demons she had imagined all these years, but they still had no rights. "You've only made my mind up more. Seeing as Jess hasn't told us anything of this, I presume you've kept it from her. We're taking her now, today, and she will never know how close to permanently damaging her you people have come." 


	12. 12

Disclaimer: I do not own, nor am I making any money from, the X-Men movie- verse. Duncan and Hana belong to Corrinth, as does Ilehana Xavier should she be mentioned. Star owns Golan, should he be mentioned too. All other OCs belong to me, especially Blaze and Jessie.  
  
A/N: Post X2 spoilers, and spoilers for Corrinth's Guardians of Destiny, which incidentally is excellent so go read it! Reviews always appreciated.  
  
Scene 12  
  
A weary Logan with sagging shoulders and road-dusty boots marched into the mansion as Jessica was being more or less marched out of it by people Wolverine could only assume were the kid's adoptive parents. Instantly on his guard as he sniffed fear on the air, Logan addressed the child rather than the adults.  
  
"You quittin' kid?"  
  
"Nope, got pulled out and I don't want to go." The girl's red-on-black eyes flashed angrily and she answered back too fast. "And I can't find Gambit and I need to tell him something and........." The girl's words were stopped short by Lila's hand on her shoulder. The woman ignored Wolverine as sharply as he had ignored her to talk to her child.  
  
"Jessie we haven't got all day, our flight check in closes soon........."  
  
"I just want to say goodbye Mom!" Jess squealed. "This is so dweeby, I can't believe you're doin' this to me!"  
  
"You t'ink I let you leave without sayin' bye Petite?" A familiar accent caused Jessica's angry scowl to drop from her face as she ran to hug her mentor. Lila and Mark were forced to wait, luggage in hand, as Gambit squeezed his daughter back. "What you got to tell me?"  
  
"Um, I wanted to say sorry." The child stuttered as the X-Man let her go.  
  
"There nothin' to apologise about. This not your fault Jess."  
  
"No, I know." Jess shot an unguarded evil glance back over her shoulder at Lila and Mark before turning back to Remy. "Its not that. I told some of the other kids about you and Blaze, you know. I swear I didn't mean to, it just kinda slipped out." Gambit smiled and was rewarded by a slight grin from Jessie in return.  
  
"Don't worry about it, Petite, nothin' stays secret round here forever. And don't worry about leavin' either, we'll see you again soon." He tweaked her button nose, making her laugh. "Now how 'bout a hug for Blaze and Logan too before you head off, eh?"  
  
Logan had to credit Gambit's guise. There were only the three X-Men present, and Blaze looked as if she would burn the place down at the click of her fingers if she didn't get chance to say this goodbye. But if Gambit had included her and not Logan, Jessica would have only gotten to wondering why. Still, Logan wished Gambit hadn't been so thoughtful; this was really not Logan's scene.........  
  
"Bye Blaze." Jessica hugged the woman for a moment as Blaze knelt on the cold floor to accept her daughter's parting gesture whist fighting hot tears.  
  
"Bye Jessica, take care of yourself okay?" It sounded lame to Blaze's ears, but what else was she supposed to say? Jessie was already detaching herself and offering her goodbyes to Wolverine.  
  
"You'll be nice to them wont you?" The child asked the gruff man. "Don't tease them too much 'bout bein' all soppy and in love?"  
  
"Hey I don't know nothin' about this, and I don't promise anythin' before I know what I'm getting myself into." Jessica grinned; she'd expected little else. A shallow hug and she went to Mark and Lila's side, picking up her bag from the floor and following them out to the car with many a backwards glance.  
  
"Sounds like you two been havin' fun." Logan offered, not looking at his colleagues who came to stand besides him in the doorway, Gambit's muscular arm round Blaze's shoulders as the Price's hire car pulled out of the drive.  
  
"Gambit." Scott interrupted the conversation before either Blaze or Remy could reply. Only Logan looked back over his shoulder to where the team- leader stood obviously fuming. Just behind Scott, a hassled looking Jean rubbed her neck with one hand, concerned eyes matching Wolverine's. Scott didn't wait for Remy's acknowledgement to continue to speak.  
  
"What you did there was stupid, Gambit, and you know it. I can't trust you to follow orders and that means I can't afford to have you on the team, not with lives in the balance........." Cyclops made as if to continue his tirade, but the look Gambit shot him on turning cut off his train of thought. Never had such a cold, venomous look been used by the Cajun, a look to drop Cyclops into his grave.  
  
"I had it workin' for you, Cyclops. I suggest you get someone to knock some sense into you and soon, before any more of the X-Men reach the same conclusion I have." Gambit didn't even take his arm from around Blaze's shoulder as they both watched Cyclops' blood boil before walking out the door to Gambit's waiting motorcycle.  
  
Blaze held Gambit's helmet for him as he checked the few pieces of luggage he was taking were properly stowed, climbed on board and revved the engine. He met Laura's eyes briefly as he finally took the helmet from her, hating to leave his love behind. She shook her head slightly, setting bobbed curls bouncing, a simple gesture beyond words to say don't worry, you're not really leaving me.........  
  
Blaze watched feeling cold and shallow as the motorbike drove away before turning and striding back into the dark mansion as if to face her doom. Passing Logan he muttered something about no goodbye kiss from her for the Cajun?  
  
"Who said this was goodbye?" Blaze quipped back quickly; eyes meeting the Wolverine's to let her friend know that something was brewing here. Blaze held up her hand to stop Scott's next tirade, turning her head slowly and staring him down.  
  
"You already know I'm leaving too Cyclops," She began watching Scott carefully, calculating. "But I have too much respect for my students to just up and go with Gambit. Consider this me working my notice. When I'm done here you wont see me for dust."  
  
And with that the Englishwoman strode down the corridor and disappeared. Logan pursed his lips in a silent exclamation before heading off to dump his stuff in his attic room. Scott was left alone with Jean, but it still took him a few moments of uneasy silence to work out what he wanted to say to his loving wife.  
  
"Jean, you would tell me if Blaze and Gambit were plotting something stupid, wouldn't you?" He only met her eyes when his words were spoken, dreading a negative answer.  
  
"All I know is," Jean began, and then wondered how much of what she knew she should share. What had got her thinking this way that she needed to mince words with her husband? "All I know is that Blaze is very, very angry at you." Cyclops began to speak but Jean cut him off. "No Scott, listen. Think of it her way, you've just sent away inside an hour her only child and the man she loves. But I sense no deceit in what she said to you, she really does just want the chance to close things with her students, particularly those she's mentoring. Other than that I know she means no harm to any of the X-Men, even you."  
  
"That's good to know." Sarcasm weighed heavily on Scott's words, his hurt oozing through the air and beating on Jean's telepathic skill like a terrible drum roll. "But you've not answered my question Jean. Are you planning on betraying me twice in one day?"  
  
Jean stuttered and spluttered as she sensed now how deeply angry he was at her. Instead of trying to persuade him, she **showed** him. Flooding his mind with the images and feelings she'd sensed from Blaze and Gambit, Jessica and even the Prices, she held nothing back.  
  
Jessica was still oblivious as to her importance to so many people. All she knew was that she was sick of being passed around and was worried about what the kids at her old school would have to say about her mutation when she got back to California. However the Prices were both terrified of something, of losing Jessica forever. Without prying more into their unsuspecting and unprotected minds Jean couldn't tell why, but to do so would have been a violent breach of telepathic conduct. Scott accepted this with a tired sigh, willing Jean to believe as he did that they only feared the words of a confused doctor. They would relax as Jessie grew into her powers and did not go blind.  
  
**I hope you're right, my love. ** Jean offered with feeling. **But Blaze feels, no its stronger than that, she senses that something is gravely wrong here. And Gambit trusts her intuition, he wont just let all this rest......... **  
  
**Intuition? Senses? Blaze is no telepath Jean, what you're saying doesn't make any sense. ** He preceded her back into his office, seating himself heavily like a punctured football with all the energy sucked out of him. Jean didn't sit, but perched on the edge of the desk with worry lines framing her beautiful eyes and creasing her brow in furrows.  
  
**She's a mother, Scott. She carried Jessica inside of her for nine months; it's the same intuition I get when I wake moments before Duncan when he has a nightmare. Blaze knows like a truth that something is wrong. **  
  
**You're saying I should put the X-Men on this? Babysitting a little girl because her parents pull her out of the school suddenly and a non-telepath has an intuition she may be in danger? Have you thought that maybe Blaze and Gambit want there to be something wrong? Want the Prices not to be good enough for Jessica so they can claim her back? No, Jean, I can't do that. And if Gambit is fool enough to try and take Jessica from her parents, the X-Men will have to stop him.........** 


	13. 13

Disclaimer: I do not own, nor am I making any money from, the X-Men movie- verse. Duncan and Hana belong to Corrinth, as does Ilehana Xavier should she be mentioned. Star owns Golan, should he be mentioned too. All other OCs belong to me, especially Blaze and Jessie.  
  
A/N: Post X2 spoilers, and spoilers for Corrinth's Guardians of Destiny, which incidentally is excellent so go read it! Reviews always appreciated.  
  
Scene 13  
  
The room was in shadow almost absolute except for the flickering screen of the computer terminal. Periodically the figure who was working this late into the night would reach out and tap the touch-screen technology to flick over a page of the database, or to highlight a piece of text. If it hadn't been for Logan's exquisite sense of hearing as he wandered to corridors of the X-Men lair he wouldn't have known there was anyone here.  
  
The reason for his late-night wanderings grumbled wearily in his arms. Though now finally and blissfully dozing, Hana had been near to screaming the building down a scant half-hour ago. Somehow the dull, throbbing acid white lights of the underground labyrinth soothed the child as much as her father's arms around her. Instinctively Logan pulled his daughter closer to him as the door to the darkened room slid open. Sniffing before spoke he identified the occupant with ease, charred carbon and smoke like the morning after a bonfire......... Blaze.  
  
"Working late or up to your old tricks?" Wolverine asked in a strangely soft voice. Blaze spun her chair around to greet him, clicking her fingers together to produce a fireball torch so she could see him and his precious burden.  
  
"Just doing my job, Logan." Blaze replied, barely making a whisper herself but knowing he could hear her fine. "The job the Professor gave me long before Cyclops decided it was the principle's responsibility."  
  
"Uh-huh." Logan grunted amicably, leaning over her shoulder to glance at the screen. Kids files, lots of 'em, that Blaze wasn't cleared to shuffle through just like that. "And what job's that? You gotta admit it don't look good for you right now."  
  
"Assimilating information. Looking for patterns, abnormalities, anything that could be something more than it seems. You and Gambit bring in some fantastic information on your travels, but its useless unless someone who knows what they're doing runs an eye over it."  
  
"You don't think old Cyc upstairs knows what he's doin' then? What make you so sure he's missin' stuff?"  
  
"I know he can't do this as well as I can, Logan, and so do you. I used to do this for a living remember; make my money from information gleaned from nothing. And I know he's missing stuff too, because I've already found it."  
  
For a few seconds Blaze flicked the screen, pulling up passages of text, signatures and photographs. Logan simply pulled up a chair and settled the dreaming Hana more comfortably against his arm and chest. He could smell her sleepiness; hear her so soft breathing rasping like a miracle through her nose as she gave a gentle snore. He smiled despite himself.  
  
"Jessie isn't the only child over the last year to be pulled out of the school on the advice of a medical specialist." Blaze began, bringing Wolverine out of his paternal drifting. "More never even made it this far. There are parents who objected that we couldn't help their child as much as we claimed. You know we don't push cases like that, they know we are here if they need us, and so the files on them aren't brilliant."  
  
"What's your point?" Logan asked. "You seem to have just answered your own worries, this stuff happens all the time."  
  
"That's just it, Logan. That's why I can't just ask Scott's permission to go rifling through the students' files like this. It happens too often for him to be worried. So instead I've hacked onto the system, and I have found something. In eight cases, not including Jessica, a male specialist advised parents against getting involved with the Xavier School."  
  
"So?" Wolverine scowled. "There are a lotta male doctors out there kid."  
  
"Yes, and true enough the same name is never mentioned twice. Which is why Scott hasn't spotted the link. But it is the same man, I'm sure of it. Letters of the signatures match each other, here and here on the 'A', again on this one and this with the 'R', you see? And there are some discrepancies in the written stuff too, particular phrases that occur in multiple reports." There was energy in Blaze's words that Logan had not heard from her in a long time, she knew she was onto something big here.  
  
"These differences in Jessica's files too?"  
  
"Yes." Logan felt the air thicken with Blaze's irrational fear for her daughter.  
  
"The Cajun know yet?"  
  
"No, but we had an inkling so he's getting set up in California to find out what he can there about the doctor Jessica was seeing, this McMahon bloke. And if there's any word on what a doctor could be doing with recently empowered children........." Blaze shuddered as her over-active imagination filled in too many gaps. "I'm flying out to meet him as soon as I'm sure there's nothing else I'm missing here. I wish it didn't have to be this way, but Scott's already made up his mind."  
  
"You're forgetting something there Blaze." Logan met his friend's eyes as she glanced from the computer screen to father and child. "Cyclops don't speak for all of us. Gumbo was right, some things are bigger than the X- Men, an' I got a feeling this may be one of 'em."  
  
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx  
  
Night fell in LA like a second dawn of neon lights and incessant sirens. Gambit moved over the rooftops, avoiding the dangerous streets and alleyways below him. He jogged, knowing exactly where he was going, lodging his pole against the roof of one building to allow him to swing onto the next. He'd been here three days, gotten the lay of the land, and now someone had told him an old acquaintance might have the information Gambit was looking for. Information on who was trying to hurt his daughter.........  
  
Alarm sensors on the fire escape door were easily short-circuited. The lock was nothing to Gambit's explosive power, barely even making a noise as it popped and the door swung open. The inside was dull even compared to the sultry lights of the city at night. The Cajun's eyes narrowed in the seconds it took them to adjust to this new limit of darkness. Then he entered, silently as a cat, one slow step at a time down the steep stairs, alert and attentive.  
  
The acquaintance's apartment was the door nearest to the fire escape, nearest to a bolthole. Gambit could understand the man's fears, but scoffed at his lack of intelligence. The Cajun had sneaked up on him without any trouble, and the criminal he sought now had eight floors to descend to make it to the front door. Muffled sounds came from behind the plain, battered door. The TV was on, a hiss was a beer bottle opening, and the creak was a small man leaning back in an old sofa. Shrew was completely oblivious.  
  
"Knock knock." Gambit offered as he popped another lock and swung the door open, trench coat billowing around him as he stalked into the room. The wood made a satisfying crunch as it slammed back in the hole behind him. The aging, balding mutant in the chair stuttered meaningless words as his bland black eyes bulged in their sockets. Never very stylish, Gambit smirked to see how Shrew had let himself go over the years. A beer belly contradicted the skinniness of the rest of him. He wore moth eaten slippers and a woollen cardigan that could once have been green or brown. But most of all he clearly was not impressed to see the ex-thief in his apartment.  
  
"Gambit!" Shrew finally found a way to knock a real word out, "What? I mean......... Why? Where's Blaze?" There was real terror in his voice as Shrew hastily turned his head this way and that, sniffing for the fiery mutant as if he expected her to melt her way through from the kitchen any second. Gambit smiled thinly, knowing how afraid Shrew was of the woman who had nearly killed him. He could use this.  
  
"She's around." Remy offered vaguely. "Word is you been being busy, Shrew. Thought you would've retired from dis game long ago?"  
  
Satisfied that Blaze was not for the moment about to burn down his home, Shrew found a little cheek to snipe back at Gambit with. "Lets just say my pension plans fell through like the bullet you put in Jacobi's head."  
  
"Huh." Gambit grunted, taking two measured strides across the cheap lino to stand over the rodent-like mutant. Shrew grinned a toothy, nervous smile and clambered over the back of the chair to put it between him and the Cajun. Enough small talk, Remy thought, or this loser'll bolt. "What you know about doctors getting involved with mutant kids, Shrew?"  
  
"You payin'?" Shrew quipped, eyeing up his escape route to the door. "I ain't saying nothin' unless you're payin'."  
  
"You owe me Shrew. I keep lettin' you live."  
  
"I thought not." Shrew snapped, breaking for the door like a disturbed rat for the safety of the sewers. Gambit lunged after him, but he jinked away from the other man's grasp. Suddenly the door flew open again, and a beautiful redhead smiled amicably at Shrew as he fell to the floor, backing away and squeaking in terror.  
  
"Hello Shrew." Blaze enjoyed tormenting the little man; the backstabbing scum would sell his mother's soul for a quick buck. She strode forward into the room, stiletto boot heels clicking contentedly on the lino. Shrew scuttled backwards on his hands as she did, sensitive nose twitching frantically at the smell of fire. "Not playing nicely my old friend? Maybe I can loosen your tongue........."  
  
"No! Don't touch me!" Shrew dragged himself to his feet as behind him Gambit folded his arms and waited. "I don't know much I swear, but I'll tell you who might know more! Gambit please, call her off........."  
  
Gambit let Blaze open a palmful of fire inches from Shrew's terrified face before he spoke her name as a warning. Blaze grinned at her love as she pulled the fire back into herself, enjoying her role as his hired muscle.  
  
"Get talkin' Shrew." Gambit ordered as Shrew was forced to turn and face him, putting his vulnerable back to Blaze.  
  
"All I know is there's a gang leader downtown who's real interested right now in mutant kiddies. You know, fresh ones, no records, unwanted........."  
  
"That's old news, Shrew. The underworld been suckin' kids like that in since I was a eight-year-old pickpocket." Gambit replied, but Shrew wasn't done.  
  
"Not like this they ain't. Shark's payin' big money to a doctor or something to hunt the kiddies down. But Shark ain't in control of it either; the doctor's a freelance with his own motives no doubt. I don't know his name, Shark the only one round here who knows how to contact the man."  
  
"How did you learn about this, Shrew?" Blaze inquired gently. "You're not going to run to Shark now and tell him we're on our way to see him are you? Because if you were........." The chair Shrew had been sat in before now started to smoulder at a nod from the fire elemental.  
  
"No, no." Shrew contradicted hastily. "I know where you can find him though, but it wont be easy to get an audience. He's got a nightclub, the Fishtank; he'll be there most nights........."  
  
Blaze and Gambit headed for the door on that, both processing what they had learned quickly. Behind them Shrew stood hesitantly between the departing ex-thieves and the smouldering upholstery.  
  
"Hey! Ain't you gonna put this thing out for me? Blaze? Please?"  
  
Gambit casually flicked an ace of spades back into the room, closing the door behind them as it landed softly on the burning cushion. The ensuing explosion put out the fire as all oxygen was blown away from the gasping flames. Unfortunately when Shrew came round after the blast had knocked his head against the wall, it was proved to also have been the end of his beloved chair. 


	14. 14

Disclaimer: I do not own, nor am I making any money from, the X-Men movie- verse. Duncan and Hana belong to Corrinth, as does Ilehana Xavier should she be mentioned. Star owns Golan, should he be mentioned too. All other OCs belong to me, especially Blaze and Jessie.  
  
A/N: Post X2 spoilers, and spoilers for Corrinth's Guardians of Destiny, which incidentally is excellent so go read it! Reviews always appreciated.  
  
Scene 14  
  
"That was good timing Chere." Gambit acknowledged as behind them an explosion rattled Shrew's apartment. "Didn't know if you'd make it in time."  
  
"What and miss all the fun?" Blaze smiled generously up at her partner; damn it was good to be with him again! Remy seemed to echo her feelings as he kissed her soundly, soft lips lingering on her own.........  
  
"You get a car?" He asked finally as they headed downstairs to the main exit.  
  
"Yep, its outside." There was a twinkle in Blaze's eye that made Gambit think that wasn't all she'd got waiting for him. But as quick as he noticed it was gone, replaced by worry and fear. "What do you think of what Shrew told us? We're going to check this bloke Shark out, right?"  
  
"It the only lead I got." Gambit admitted reluctantly. "I'se beginning to think it'd be better to jus' sit it out by the Prices and wait for this doctor to come to us."  
  
"Don't worry about that now, Rem." Blaze consoled him. "Trust me, Jessica's not unprotected." His eyes met hers sharply as he grabbed her arm and turned her to look at him. What was she talking about? As an answer to his obvious question Blaze pushed open the ancient front door and indicated to the beat up SUV parked on the curb outside "And I brought friends."  
  
"What?" Gambit exclaimed as he recognised the familiar figures of Logan, Bobby and Rogue in the car. "Cyclops seen sense or somethin'?"  
  
"Not exactly. Technically they're absent without leave, I don't know why, but they really want to help us Remy." There was pride unrivalled in Blaze's voice; she could still hardly believe it herself. They had even hijacked the Eagle, the X-Men's stealth-jet, allowing them to get to California much quicker. "And there's more, Storm is already heading to watch over Jessie, and Golan is busy tracking down all he can on the other kids involved........."  
  
"I was right then? You found proof?" A million thoughts vied for Gambit's attention as he tried to understand what this meant for the X-Men. Blaze only nodded to affirm her answer. "You wanna lead this li'l outfit then Chere?"  
  
"Don't be ridiculous," Blaze smiled, watching Gambit's face carefully as he looked back again at the car as if he had imagined its occupants before. "I'm just your apprentice remember. This is your show Gambit, the team will follow you."  
  
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx  
  
"Well this is a dump." Logan commented as the team entered their new apartment/base of operations. The door opened straight into the squarish living room complete with TV and moth-eaten sofa, five open doors to either side lead to bedrooms, bathroom and kitchen where Gambit had left the light on. Rogue frowned at Wolverine, prompting him to back himself up. "I mean, look at it."  
  
"Actually I'm impressed." Blaze commented as she dumped her holdall bag on the floor by the front door. "This is way better than most of the dives you've rented in the past Rem. You must be getting soft in your old age."  
  
"So what now?" Bobby changed the subject before Gambit could think of a witty reply. All eyes fell on the Cajun.  
  
"I guess I tell you what I'se found out." He shrugged, indicating that they go into the kitchen where a round dining table had just enough chairs. "Take a seat." The X-Men obliged, filing into the kitchen to seat themselves as naturally as if they were back in the briefing room at the mansion. Gambit glanced round them before he began to report, still so very impressed and grateful that they'd come through for him and Blaze like this. With a deep breath and a glance at Blaze who smiled encouragingly he began.  
  
"First t'ings first. I'se been already to the hospital where Jessie was seein' Dr McMahon. He don't work there, he an outside specialist only comes in to see specific patients. It took a little persuadin', but I got his contact details from a nurse." A raised eyebrow from Logan made Gambit smile; let the Wolverine think what he wanted. "Basically even the address he gives the hospital is fake. The house don't exist, he don't exist. So Gambit go underground, see what dodgy doctors operatin' in the criminal world, which lead me to Shrew." Gambit paused to take in his team's reactions. They were all avid, completely justified in being there. He'd been told in the car what Blaze had found on the school's computers, but now Gambit was backing this up with his own findings it was suddenly a lot more real. And a lot more forbidding.  
  
"Shrew reckons some gang scum called Shark is involved in the fundin' of our doctor's research. I don't know what the doctor is offerin' in return, but it can't be good. But Shark can contact the doctor, an' I'm thinkin' so can other gang leaders in other cities with more money than sense."  
  
"So we go after this Shark guy?" Rogue asked.  
  
"And how we gonna do that?" Wolverine asked. "Just walk up and ask him real nice for his diary?"  
  
"Sounds like a plan to me." Blaze muttered, meeting Remy's eyes cautiously.  
  
"No." He replied, knowing what she was thinking. Bobby and Rogue shot each other confused glances. "I wont, I can't let you do that Laura."  
  
"So instead we try and take it by force? Or do we just give up on Jessica?" Her tone was soft and she reached out to brush his wrist with her fingers. "I can do this Remy."  
  
"I know you can." He replied, grasping her fingers in his hand. "That's what scares me."  
  
"Um, hello?" Bobby asked, bringing Blaze and Gambit back to the real world. "What are you talkin' about?"  
  
"Logan's right." Blaze started, meeting her friends' eyes one by one. "We wont be able to just walk up to some gang leader and force information out of him like we can folk like Shrew. So we have to have a little more tack and get close enough to lift what we need. Or rather, I have to get close enough......... Really close."  
  
"I'm not sending you in there alone." Gambit informed her as the others slowly grasped what it was Blaze was proposing. She followed his meaningful glance to meet Rogue's eyes, then pushed back her chair from the table and folded her arms across her chest.  
  
"No." Blaze snapped. "She'll be a liability Remy. I can't guarantee my own safety let alone Rogue's as well."  
  
"You said you follow me on this, Laura." Gambit began, tone of voice harder than he'd meant it to be. "An' I say you ain't goin' in there alone."  
  
"I can help, Blaze. Trust me." Rogue piped up in Gambit's defence. Blaze didn't reply straight away, instead standing and walking to the door. One hand on the doorframe she looked back over her shoulder at her gathered friends, expression a snarl Ilehana would have been proud of.  
  
"Fine. But train her Gambit. She's worse than useless unless she can master slight of hand and pick pocketing in the next twenty-four hours. And I doubt even you are a good enough teacher for that." Blaze left the room and moments later a bedroom door slammed shut. Gambit tried to ease his team's mood.  
  
"Guess I'se sleeping on the couch tonight, eh my friends........." 


	15. 15

Disclaimer: I do not own, nor am I making any money from, the X-Men movie- verse. Duncan and Hana belong to Corrinth, as does Ilehana Xavier should she be mentioned. Star owns Golan, should he be mentioned too. All other OCs belong to me, especially Blaze and Jessie.  
  
A/N: Post X2 spoilers, and spoilers for Corrinth's Guardians of Destiny, which incidentally is excellent so go read it! Reviews always appreciated.  
  
Scene 15  
  
Blaze left early, sneaking out past Gambit as he snored softly on the sofa. The TV was even still on, volume turned down low as the morning news presenters muttered general rubbish, the remote still grasped in his hand. He only stirred slightly as the outside door rattled closed.  
  
Later, as Bobby made pancakes and Logan went out for milk that wasn't past its sell by date, a bleary-eyed Gambit tried to show Rogue a few tricks of his trade. First, the ones that would stop her getting dead, mostly ditching drinks that might be drugged without letting on that the liquid wasn't going down her throat. The first few trials were a disaster. Apple juice got spilt all over the floor, Rogue was close to giving up and Gambit was out of ideas. But suddenly like remembering a song learnt in childhood, Rogue clicked and the next drink even Gambit himself had difficulties in believing Rogue hadn't drunk it.  
  
"Whoa, Rogue!" Bobby exclaimed as Gambit nodded his silent approval. "You learn quick."  
  
"I don't think I do." Rogue frowned, putting a gloved finger to her brow and rubbing her temple as though she had a headache. "Its all up here somewhere......... I think I already know this stuff."  
  
"How?" Bobby asked as he put the mugs of steaming coffee he'd just made down on the table by his friends. "Something you learned on your travels?"  
  
"No........." Rogue replied avoiding looking at Bobby she met Gambit's eyes instead. "I think I learnt it from you. You touched me, once, years ago. Part of you is still in my head........."  
  
Bobby visibly recoiled at the memory, shaken and numb. He'd found them, walked in on Gambit touching Rogue's skin, standing firmer than Bobby had ever been able to manage as Rogue sucked his life-force dry. He, Iceman, had lost it and tried seriously to kill Gambit. Only Logan's timely arrival had saved the Cajun, but not his and Rogue's relationship. Was this all to come back again to haunt him a second time round?  
  
"Then maybe we can put that power of yours to good use, eh Cherie?" Gambit replied carefully before turning to Bobby. "If it okay wit you Ami? I'se don't want my head bashed in again like last time."  
  
"Will it help Jessica?" Was all Bobby wanted to know. Gambit nodded. Bobby echoed the motion, looking from his girlfriend to the Cajun. Biting his lip before he said something stupid, Iceman left the room. Seconds later the TV volume was turned up loud on some music channel or other. Gambit looked back at Rogue.  
  
"Ready for a refresher course?" He offered her his open palm, waiting for her to remove her right glove. Their eyes locked as she slotted her hand in his, Rogue swallowing hard as Gambit concentrated on every last memory and skill that might prove useful to Rogue. But soon the pain of having his energy, his mutant power sucked right out of him made him gasp, eyes bugling. Hastily Rogue pulled her hand free and pushed her chair backwards. Gambit slumped in his own seat, exhausted. Rogue's bare right hand brushed the coffee pot as she leant back on the counter. In a flash it grew orange and throbbing. Rogue screamed as it exploded, covering her face with her arms as shards and hot coffee flew through the air. Bobby and Logan charged into the room to see what was going on, but Gambit had beaten them both to Rogue's side.  
  
"I'm sorry........." She gasped, staring mournfully into his red-on-black eyes as he grabbed and held her wrists over the long sleeves of her top. "I didn't mean to hold on so long."  
  
"Too late to be sorry, Chere." He acknowledged. "Did you get it all?"  
  
"I think so." She pouted, thinking. He nodded, still not releasing her arms.  
  
"Good. Do you know how long you got my powers for?" She shook her head at that and he felt her tremble in his grasp. "Then I suggest you don't touch nothin' for a while, Chere. Take it easy, okay?"  
  
Rogue nodded hesitantly as he released her before turning and stalking past Logan and Bobby to slam Blaze's bedroom door. Exhausted he fell into a fretful sleep face down on the bed. Rogue didn't say anything to Bobby or Logan, leaving them to argue over who was cleaning up the kitchen she commandeered the sofa, hands resting carefully on her knees.  
  
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Blaze arrived back as the sun was setting, laden with designer shopping bags and with a tired slump to her shoulders. She kicked the door open to dump the goods inside as Gambit looked over to her from his seat on the couch, shuffling a pack of cards.  
  
"You get what you need Chere?" He asked casually, but Blaze didn't reply as she reached out suddenly, snatching a gloved hand in her own right and twisted the wrist until its owner grunted in pain. Releasing the wrist Blaze met the would-be pickpocket's eyes, not smiling as Rogue blushed.  
  
"You've got good very quick." A statement of fact that needed an explanation.  
  
"I absorbed Gambit's skills when I touched him." So Rogue and Remy had been getting friendly? Blaze thought quickly. That would be why Bobby and Logan were making such a racket behind the closed kitchen door. Why couldn't Gambit get it into his head that touching the energy vampire was as good as them cheating on Bobby? Or maybe he did know.........  
  
"Maybe you wont be such a liability on this mission then." Blaze acknowledged, kicking off her boots from her tired feet and risking an appeasing smile at Rogue.  
  
"She could be valuable, Chere." Rogue glowed at Gambit's praises, but Blaze sensed what he meant instantly.  
  
"Not a chance. Pick-pocketing and slight of hand is one thing, but you're asking for something else Remy and you know it." Rogue wondered what she was missing as Gambit replied.  
  
"Not even for Jessica? Dis all for her Laura."  
  
"Not in a million years will I pass on to a loving, innocent girl all the tricks the underworld has to offer on how to manipulate a man, let alone one who could kill a man if only he dared to touch her." The fire in Blaze's words implied more than Rogue understood, but was not lost on Gambit. He left for her room, slamming the door behind him.  
  
"Maybe I wanna learn." Rogue tugged the glove free of her hand and reached out to touch Blaze. "If it'll help Jessica." Blaze turned on her friend with a scowl.  
  
"No, Rogue. I know you've always been fascinated with Gambit's and my old life; you think it sounds exciting and exotic. In part you may be right, but more than that the criminal underworld is a dangerous, deadly world where normal rules cannot apply. Nobody cares for anybody else, only for power and control. Its seedy and vile and I'm sorry you are gonna have to be part of that tonight. By tomorrow you'll be glad I've refused to give you what I know."  
  
"How can you talk about your old life like this so suddenly?" Rogue asked sulkily. "Time was you talked about it like you still belonged there, more than you do with the X-Men."  
  
"I never belonged there." Blaze admitted as much to herself as to Rogue. "I've never belonged anywhere. But I'm beginning to realise I was meant to stumble into the underworld, meant to offer someone else a way out........."  
  
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"That was sharp, Blaze." He complained coldly. Blaze now, she noted, not Laura. "You t'ink you so much more noble than Gambit."  
  
"No." She whispered softly, sighing. "Just trying to put things in perspective."  
  
"Our daughter worth less than whatever money we extorted in the past? Some perspective." Blaze closed the distance between them, took his chin in her hand and made him look at her.  
  
"The past is gone, Remy. You taught me and bought me all the lessons that we needed to survive then, and I remember. Trust me, I can do this. I have to do this, to make up for abandoning Jessica........." Her voice died out as she spoke, her fingers dropping from his face. But he caught them and pressed them to his lips.  
  
"I do trust you." He stood from his perch on the end of the bed, taking her in his arms. "That's what worries me Chere. I know I gotta stand there tonight and watch gang scum leer at you........."  
  
"Then you see why we have to keep Rogue as sidelined as possible? For Bobby as much as for her."  
  
"I wont even let him in the buildin'." Gambit adamantly stated. "Bad enough one of us has to go through this."  
  
"As if you could ever have anything to worry about." Blaze countered, strangely echoing Ilehana Xavier's long-gone words to the Wolverine when he had less than appreciated a flirtatious friendship she'd had with a certain Cajun......... But Blaze knew nothing of that echo, knew nothing then but the pleasure in his warm lips brushing hers and knowing she was forgiven. 


	16. 16

Disclaimer: I do not own, nor am I making any money from, the X-Men movie- verse. Duncan and Hana belong to Corrinth, as does Ilehana Xavier should she be mentioned. Star owns Golan, should he be mentioned too. All other OCs belong to me, especially Blaze and Jessie.  
  
A/N: Post X2 spoilers, and spoilers for Corrinth's Guardians of Destiny, which incidentally is excellent so go read it! Reviews always appreciated.  
  
Scene 16  
  
"Smile Rogue." Blaze ordered as they made their way past the club doorman and into the steamy interior of the Fishtank. It was a dump, she surmised quickly, but then again these places always were. Maybe she'd been a schoolteacher too long to be feeling this disapproving of a night on the town. Oh well, at least they didn't look like teachers......... Blaze took a shifty glance sideways at Rogue.  
  
The kid looked good, short green skirt over knee high black boots, black and green lace bodice hid nothing, black silk gloves almost to her shoulders offered some protection and diamonds sparkled at her earlobes and on her throat. Bobby's eyes had shot out on stalks when he'd seen her made up like this. Blaze wondered if Rogue would let her shop for her again.  
  
Blaze's own outfit was twice as scandalous. The black halter neck top revealed a trim midriff; you never would have guessed she'd had a child. Blue denim hot pants also covered very little, and unlike Rogue Blaze made no effort to cover her long legs, wearing black shoes that clicked as she walked. Unlike Bobby, Gambit had not approved of his partner's get-up, but it couldn't be helped.  
  
"Where's Logan and Gambit?" Rogue asked, unnerved. Bad enough Gambit had Bobby driving the getaway car parked outside, but she'd at least expected to be able to see their other teammates once inside the club.  
  
"They're about." Blaze filled in vaguely. "Now look like you're having fun will you? See that balcony upstairs? That's most likely where Shark will be, watching the club. We have to get up into his private lounge, which means he has to have us invited up. "  
  
"So how do we.........?" Rogue started, but Blaze had already started off through the crowds. Unnerved Rogue hastily followed, always aware of how close the crowds pressed around her, until a friendly hand reached down and plucked her up onto a small podium by the dance floor.  
  
"Better?" Blaze asked, forcing herself to grin. Rogue nodded, following Blaze's lead as both girls began to move with the pounding music.........  
  
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"May as well get a beer while we wait." Logan grunted; leaving Gambit stood leaning on the railing of the upper floor of the club. Over the barrier he could see Blaze and Rogue on the podium, and make out the men in the balcony lounge opposite behind the DJ laughing and talking. One of them already had Remy's partner in his sights, making Gambit grip the rail so hard the pitted surface cut into his gloves. He didn't even acknowledge Wolverine when he returned bearing gifts.........  
  
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Blaze moved with her eyes half closed, watching the room from under long eyelashes. It didn't take long for the creeps to start circling like vultures over a lion's kill. The trick was to picking out the right vulture at the right time. For the first time Blaze felt an ounce of worry. What if she couldn't do this? But then she had him, her target. He walked down the stairs from the balcony lounge with a purposeful air, hand brushing what would be a gun underneath his jacket. Show time.  
  
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Remy saw Blaze acknowledge the gun-toting scumbag with a wiry smile and seductive manoeuvres. Rogue glanced over her shoulder to offer the man a pout and Blaze a brief frown of concern. Had Gambit made the right choice? Would Blaze be better doing this by herself? Was there anything he'd missed, anything at all that would make all this unnecessary? Was this what Cyclops went through every time he set X-Men on a mission? If so, Gambit could understand why the team-leader was slowly turning the X-Men into a one-man-band. Less heartache if you work on your own.........  
  
But the girls were being beckoned upstairs already. That must be a new record for Blaze. Gambit scowled as Logan came to lean on the railing next to him. He'd paid high prices for Blaze to learn how to do this, but nothing as high as the humiliation and cheapening that Blaze was putting herself through right now. If only he'd known how it would all work out, known that even then he was falling in love with her......... Damn it! How could he have been such a fool!  
  
"Hey Gambit." Logan offered from by the Cajun's right shoulder. "I like this even less than you buddy. Just say the word an' I'll be slicin' those guys up before you can put down your beer."  
  
"Non Wolverine." Gambit shook his head and took a swig of the beer he hadn't even realised he was holding. "Not yet."  
  
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"Ladies." The scumbag acknowledged them when the glass door swished shut behind them and for the first time he could be heard over the heavy dance music. "Welcome to the Fishtank. Please accept these drinks on the house."  
  
"Thank you." Blaze replied with a flick of her hair and a twitch of her lips. Rogue tried to smile too as she took her glass, knowing this was what Gambit had been training her for. The drink was drugged, she had to ditch it. Panic seemed to well up like froth from a bottle of champagne even as Rogue thought about it, but Blaze was talking to her. "C'mon, over there." She flicked her head to a red leather sofa by a large potted plant and fountain of dry ice.  
  
"Don't we, you know, talk to someone?" Rogue whispered to her friend as other girls in the room either scowled at the competition or smiled their drugged hellos.  
  
"Just follow my lead, Rogue. It's all a game........." Was all Blaze would reply, seating herself cheaply and pretending to slurp heavily on the drink.  
  
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Outside in the driver's seat of the car, secluded from the mean-looking club bouncers round a corner, Bobby tapped his fingers impatiently on the steering column. The game on his mobile office palmtop bleeped frantically as the character on the RPG died yet again. The suddenly the tone morphed into his phone ring tone, who could be calling him at this hour?  
  
"Hello?" The number wasn't one in his phone book, making him worry.  
  
"Iceman, its Storm. I can't get in touch with anybody else and I don't know what to do........." There was real panic in Storm's voice, even over the digital connection.  
  
"Hey, calm down Ororo." Bobby counselled. "You got news?"  
  
"Uh huh." Storm replied, obviously trying to regain her composure. In Jessie's hometown heavy drops of rain began to fall. "It's the Prices. I think they might have spotted me here. They've panicked, just got in their car and drove away."  
  
"Just stay where you are." Bobby demanded. "Gambit's onto something here. Keep trying the mansion and see if Jean can't track Jessica through Cerebro. We'll come pick you up as soon as we can."  
  
There was a click on the line as Storm hung up. Not for the first time Bobby wished he were a psychic, it could really come in handy about now......... 


	17. 17

Disclaimer: I do not own, nor am I making any money from, the X-Men movie- verse. Duncan and Hana belong to Corrinth, as does Ilehana Xavier should she be mentioned. Star owns Golan, should he be mentioned too. All other OCs belong to me, especially Blaze and Jessie.  
  
A/N: Post X2 spoilers, and spoilers for Corrinth's Guardians of Destiny, which incidentally is excellent so go read it! Reviews always appreciated.  
  
Scene 17  
  
Rogue was freaked. Blaze was being a nightmare. She was knocking back her drink, acting more and more outrageous by the second. But Blaze didn't drink, and Rogue hoped that meant she was just acting now, but if she was she was very good at it. The men around the room noticed too, closing in for the kill. But Blaze was oblivious to all of them, except the man who must be Shark. He leered at them both from a sea of velvet cushions, armed men by his shoulders, shark tattoo glistening savagely on his neck. A young- looking man, Rogue wondered who was wearing more make up; Shark or her and Blaze put together. Certainly he'd had cosmetic surgery, a man who took pride in his appearance.  
  
Finally he beckoned a man to bring them over to him. On the way, Blaze staggered and leant heavily on the escort, batting her eyelashes at him as she apologised. Both he and his boss laughed, and offered more drinks that Blaze hastily declined for both of them.  
  
"I don't know what it is you boys are serving here," She crept, "But it's all a little too much for me." She sat, running her hands over her body as she did as if to emphasise that she was after all only dainty. Rogue sat too, only aware that Shark was talking to her when Blaze cleared her throat.  
  
"I'm sorry, what did you say?" The Southern Belle asked, embarrassed.  
  
"I said," Shark paused for effect, "Ain't you the quiet type?"  
  
"I guess........." Rogue tried to meet Blaze's eye to ask for help, but the redhead was distracted by Shark's casual jacket thrown lazily over the back of the chaise longue. So she was perfectly sober, and looking already for what they had come in for. Up to Rogue then to distract both Shark and his men. "I guess it depends on whether you want me to be or not........." She tilted her head to one side, exposing her neck to the gang leader.  
  
"Good answer." He mused, leaning forward as if to kiss Rogue's long, soft, pale neck. Rogue froze as his skin neared hers, completely petrified.  
  
"Hey!" Blaze sniped, "I thought we were talking here?" The emphasis was on the 'we'; leaving Shark and Rogue both in now doubt that Blaze was excluding the brunette. Shark simply shrugged, and kissed Blaze lustfully instead.........  
  
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"Tell me you ain't gonna let that creep touch your woman?" Logan growled above the music, his words more of a threat than a question but either way coming way too late. A flick of his wrist and Gambit adjusted his grip on the beer bottle. A snap of his muscular arm and the bottle shattered over Wolverine's face, searing his flesh, making him yell. As blood poured, fists flew though graciously without claws. The shout went up around the club as the two men smacked against the railing and went over, rolling in the air so that Gambit was pinning Logan to the dance floor whilst everybody else screamed. Gun-toting madmen appeared from every angle, dragging the combatants apart, intent on beating a lesson into both of them.  
  
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"Now Rogue!" Blaze snapped, grabbing her friend's empty hand and legging it to the door as soon as Shark and his lackeys left to deal with the fight below. Rogue threw down Shark's jacket with her other hand, clutching his tiny mobile office console like gold dust in her hand. Somehow in the panic they made it out without being spotted, shoes crunching on broken glass as they ran for it.  
  
Out in the street Bobby started the engine as soon as he saw Blaze and Rogue running towards him. Rogue climbed in the front to kiss him swiftly, handing the IT teacher Shark's electronic toy for deciphering later. Blaze paid them no attention, eyes frantically scanning the streets.  
  
"Bobby, listen." She started from her seat behind Rogue. "Take it slow, don't speed or they'll know something's up, head past the club and take the next left."  
  
"What about Gambit and Wolverine?" Iceman asked, shifting the car into drive.  
  
"That's where we're going." Blaze filled in. "I get the feeling they'll be leaving by the back exit........."  
  
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"Umph!" Logan groaned as he was thrown face down in the gutter outside the back exit of the club. Glass was still popping out of his face as Gambit landed heavily next to him, not moving. The back door slammed shut, and everything went still, numb.  
  
The car screeched around the corner and stopped, engine idling. The three occupants dived out, Bobby grabbing Logan roughly and pulling him to his feet. The girls tackled Gambit, Blaze employing superhuman strength from nowhere to throw him in the car besides Wolverine. Rogue got back in the front with Bobby, Blaze was already swearing violently in French at the barely conscious Cajun as she climbed in besides him.  
  
"Mind your manners, Chere." He muttered through swollen lips, eyes closed against the pain. Blaze didn't reply, too relieved that he could speak. Instead she attacked his already torn shirt, ripping it apart and holding a section out to Bobby as he drove.  
  
"Bobby, ice me." Bobby obliged, filling the piece of fabric with ice crystals in a vain attempt at first aid. Blaze turned coldly back to Remy. "Where does it hurt most Rem?"  
  
"You don't wanna know........." Was his answer with a wry smile. Blaze could have slapped him right then, but he groaned and put bloodied fingers to his head just in time, so that was where the ice went. Blaze winced as much as Remy did as the cold ice made her fingers throb and spasm. She wondered abstractly if Bobby knew how easily he could kill her with her intolerance of cold?  
  
"What the hell did you do that for Gumbo?" Logan finally found his voice as the last pieces of glass fell out of his skin, bleeding slowed then stopped, and bruising began to fade. "You could've warned me! I could've killed you!"  
  
"You ain't that stupid Wolverine." Gambit retorted, taking the ice out of Blaze's hand and pressing it to his own head.  
  
"Only because it looks like all the stupid pills have been taken for tonight, Rem." Blaze snapped back. "You could be dead!" There was a tremor in her voice besides the anger, and she wouldn't meet his eyes. "There are distractions and distractions, Ami........."  
  
Gambit didn't reply, and Logan was left with the sulky feeling that he should be the one getting the concern of the team. After all he was the one who'd just been bottled in the face by a man supposed to be his friend. Guess there ain't no trustin' a thief......... 


	18. 18

Disclaimer: I do not own, nor am I making any money from, the X-Men movie- verse. Duncan and Hana belong to Corrinth, as does Ilehana Xavier should she be mentioned. Star owns Golan, should he be mentioned too. All other OCs belong to me, especially Blaze and Jessie.  
  
A/N: Post X2 spoilers, and spoilers for Corrinth's Guardians of Destiny, which incidentally is excellent so go read it! Reviews always appreciated.  
  
Scene 18  
  
Jessica cowered low in the back of the car as it pulled out of her drive. Her Mom was driving, her Dad talking frantically on his mobile to someone in a cryptic code consisting mostly of yes and no answers. It was dark, she had been just about to go get ready for bed, but her parent's raised voices had dragged her downstairs and their reaction had been to bundle her in the car and set off. Neither would say why, or where they were going. Scruffy had barked and ran around in circles in the hall, hating to be left behind. Jessie bit her lip, afraid.  
  
"They're ringing him now." Mark told his wife, noting how much those few words made her relax her grip in the steering wheel. "He should be there when we get there."  
  
"Who?" Jessica asked hopefully. "Gambit? Why are you ringing Xavier's School Dad? What's wrong?"  
  
"No, Jessie." Her Mom cautioned. "Dr McMahon."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because........." Mark began, then froze and ran out of answers. Because we think the Xavier School people are after you? Because we are afraid that if we take you to anyone else for help or protection, they will reject you and us because you are a mutant? Because we are too scared to lose you to your real parents?  
  
"Because we think your eyes are getting worse, Jessie. We want to see if the Doctor can give you eye drops or anything to help, before it starts hurting." Lila improvised.  
  
"My eyes aren't any worse." Jessica retorted, knowing that if she wanted to she could slip away right now, make herself invisible in the night and disappear. As if reading her mind, her mother pressed the door-lock button and trapped Jessica where she was.  
  
"Don't you trust us, baby?" Mark asked, "Don't you believe your own parents know what's best for you?"  
  
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**Gambit! ** Jean's announcement of her presence in his injured head was like being hit with a sledgehammer. They were in the X-Jet now, Rogue operating the controls with Bobby by her side working with the jet's computer to hack into Shark's palmtop. Logan was sulking, Blaze conferring with Wolverine quietly as Remy was supposed to be resting. Somewhere not too far away Ororo was waiting to be picked up after losing his daughter.........  
  
**Gambit! ** Jean insisted again and Remy realised she didn't know he was already listening. Even with Cerebro she wasn't as strong as either Xavier had been.  
  
**I'se here. ** He offered through the tentative bond.  
  
**Good. ** She announced. **I have news from Golan. He's tracked down the other children Blaze pinpointed.........** Her telepathic voice tailed out, unsure. Gambit tried to remain positive to encourage her.  
  
**And? ** He asked. **What is it Cherie? **  
  
**Three ran away from home not long after we gave up trying to recruit them. ** She began, acknowledging their failure with pain in her voice. **One is diagnosed a manic-depressive, on severe medication probably for the rest of her life. Two have succumbed to extreme illness, they're little more than breathing vegetables. ** Again Jean's telepathic contact became strained and uneven even to Gambit's unpractised mind. This was one of the reasons he so often shunned telepathic contact, not just for his own privacy but also through not wanting to know what the telepath was feeling on the subject.  
  
**And two, ** Jean finally concluded, **Two are dead, Remy. Angelica and Roberto. Something this man is doing to them......... **  
  
The contact was cut short as Jean pulled away again, in too much distress to continue to report. Gambit hoped Scott was nearby to comfort his wife, that his and Blaze's actions hadn't damaged their relationship too much. Oh well, too late to worry.........  
  
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"If only Ilehana was here." Logan finally admitted after too long skirting around the subject. Blaze smiled softly, knowing what he meant. But she waited until the predatory Wolverine looked at her before she offered what stark comfort she could.  
  
"I get the feeling that if Ilehana was here, or the Professor for that matter, none of this would have gone this far."  
  
"I got it!" Bobby suddenly exclaimed, cutting off Logan's reaction to Blaze's words.  
  
"And there's Storm!" Rogue added, smiling. Gambit grimaced as he realised he was up again, holding up a hand to Blaze as she made moves to deputise him.  
  
"Bobby, hold on five minutes." He ordered. "Take her down Rogue."  
  
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"Am I glad to see you." Storm offered as she came on board the jet, immediately heading to change out of her civilian clothes into her X- uniform the same as the others were now all wearing. "You look terrible." She offered Gambit as she passed him.  
  
"Merci, mon belle Amie." He replied, making Blaze smile even if it was a little nervous. He addressed his partner also in French to give them a little privacy to see how she was holding up. "Ca va Chere?"  
  
"J'ai terrifie." She replied frankly, meaning she was terrified. He couldn't blame her, was mostly grateful for her honesty that mean he knew he was not alone. But then Storm was back and she and Bobby, not to mention his own report from Jean to deliver, demanded his attention.  
  
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"Dr McMahon." Mark and Lila stood to greet the medical professional as he entered the tiny treatment room. Jessie only scowled, leaning back against the wall as she sat on the bed. The doctor was a middle-aged man with a round belly and veins that stood out predominantly on his forehead as if his tight collar was cutting off all the circulation to his brain. As he approached the family, Jessica's mutant power began to kick in involuntarily, making her shimmer as light was absorbed into her.  
  
"Mr and Mrs Price, and little Jessica........." The man smiled his welcome, the veins in his head growing an ominous shade of purple as he did. "Perhaps if we step into the office next door?" He indicated that Jessica's parents precede him, giving Jessica a conciliatory smile as she was left by herself. A smile that very closely resembled what Jessica would imagine a snake giving a baby mouse before it ate it. Jessica shuddered and her skin became black.  
  
"Its so good of you to come out like this," Lila began in earnest, "I'm so sorry that we have to bring this to your door, but there really isn't anybody else we can trust........." For a moment the woman choked as her words tried to get out too fast. Mark put an arm around the blonde's shoulders, but didn't offer anything himself.  
  
"I'm afraid I don't understand." The doctor confessed. "This isn't a problem with Jessica's eyes?" He looked from one parent to the other, waiting for an explanation. Again it was Lila who offered one.  
  
"Its those people, at that mutant school you told us to take Jessica out of, the ones who didn't know what they were talking about." Lila took a breath before continuing, dropping her mascara-coated eyes. "Two of the staff there, well, they claim to be Jessica's real parents. And we think they've had another staff member, a white-haired black woman we saw through the window when we arrived to pick Jessica up, follow us home. We need to get away, make sure we keep Jessica safe, and, well, we were hoping you could help us?"  
  
"Why me?" Dr McMahon asked, apparently un-phased by the story. "Why can't you ask your friends or neighbours to help you? Or the police?"  
  
Mark and Lila didn't answer, instead glancing through the one-way observation window to where Jessica was sat on the treatment table. She was visibly shaking; rocking backwards and forwards just slightly as the sheer volume of energy she was absorbing from the vicious neon lights made her every nerve scream. As usual she was completely blacked-out against the green tinted tiled wall. Dr McMahon nodded sombrely, brushing his chubby chin with his fingers as he considered his options.  
  
"Well then, how can I refuse such a cry for help? I am a doctor after all, here only to serve." Neither of the Prices noticed the malicious edge to his words nor the sarcasm in his tone, so desperate where they for someone to help them without judgement. But at the moment when he agreed to help them, uncannily Jessica raised her head as if her indistinguishable eyes were baring right through the glass, right into Dr McMahon's twisted soul. 


	19. 19

Disclaimer: I do not own, nor am I making any money from, the X-Men movie- verse. Duncan and Hana belong to Corrinth, as does Ilehana Xavier should she be mentioned. Star owns Golan, should he be mentioned too. All other OCs belong to me, especially Blaze and Jessie.  
  
A/N: Post X2 spoilers, and spoilers for Corrinth's Guardians of Destiny, which incidentally is excellent so go read it! Reviews always appreciated.  
  
Scene 19  
  
The Prices left the hospital with Dr McMahon. Jessica could not be persuaded to try and control her powers; only the darkness of the night seemed to ease her stress as the amount of light energy hitting her decreased. Lila shepherded her daughter along from behind, but resisted the temptation to touch the child and get a shock of raw power for her trouble. Mark kept a worried eye on the surroundings as they crossed the parking lot, expecting one of those mutant-teachers to jump out from behind every car. Dr McMahon zapped the remote on his estate, unlocking the car doors and triggering the engine to start as they approached.  
  
He took them to a large, almost derelict building on the far side of town, A monument to the nineteen eighties, the concrete and glass monstrosity looked barely habitable. None the less, Dr McMahon's key turned easily in the door lock and the front door swung open. Inside was nearly as creepy as the outside, lit with orange light bulbs in positions that left most of the place in dank shadow. Wallpaper peeled off the walls, motif faded to indistinguishable smudges. Ominous stains on the grossly patterned carpet could have been anything from spilled wine to tomato ketchup to much worse things. But it was the layout of the building that was most bizarre.  
  
From the large entranceway, the arched ceiling closed in again around them as they walked forward, becoming claustrophobic. Alley-like corridors span off in different directions periodically, and doors painted in thick black emulsion were often padlocked on the outside. Then the ceiling opened up again and the walls drifted away in a wide curve as the family reached what was best described as an open-plan living space. A stairway descended from nowhere down the centre of the room, and more seedy corridors ran away in the corners. Great glass sheets dull with grime ran in filthy waterfalls down the far wall, enclosing sliding glass doors that again were padlocked. Random furniture rotted where it had fallen in battle, apparently savaged by some monstrous beast in a ferocious attack.  
  
Dr McMahon did not seem the slightest bit ashamed of his bizarre home, and the Prices were too well mannered to express disgust that an educated man could allow his home to descend into such a state. Both adults systematically accredited the state of the building to a busy man with no family and few friends, whilst Jessie was left feeling an uneasy but unsurprised awe at her arch-enemy's hideout. Dr McMahon left them with vague excuses of finding food, disappearing down a corridor without a backwards glance.  
  
Leaving her parent's arguing in over-the-top whispers, Jessie set off to explore. It would be hours before they even realised she was gone in this clammy gloom. What would the X-Men do if they were stuck somewhere like this? Jessie sighed, missing Xavier's school with a longing, missing feeling safe and wanted. A noise behind a padlocked door startled her, a sigh that echoed her own. She put her ear to the door and listened, was there somebody there?  
  
"Hello?" She asked softly, and was rewarded with a soft snuffling sound behind the door. Dr McMahon had a dog? He didn't seem a doggy type of person. And this was cruel anyway, keeping a dog locked up in what looked like a cellar. Jessie reached out and picked up the padlock as it swung from the door in her black hand. If only she could bust it open......... As if answering her call her power skidded into overdrive. A bolt of purest blackness that made the rest of the corridor seem grey in comparison leapt from her fingers, crushing the padlock to dust with ferocious energy. Behind the door the dog screamed in fright, an eerie wailing noise that Jessie hastily tried to calm with words. At the same time she plucked at the stiff lock, tugging the heavy bolt backwards and forwards with her whole weight until finally the door swung open shoved from within. The force of it opening knocked Jessie down as she screamed. Her parents came running then, calling her name.  
  
It was no dog that came loping from behind the door. Perhaps, once, he had been a man. He was huge, ageless, a monstrosity of mutation at its most extreme. Dressed only in a loincloth, with long arms dangling aimlessly as though rarely used, his legs were short and stocky. And from his shoulders and his sides, four groping tendrils reached out towards Jessica as she screamed. Lila screamed then too, distracting the monster long enough for Jessie to regain her senses and crawl back to her parents. In a fit of horror they turned their backs on the creature and unashamedly ran.  
  
There was a crunch ahead of them, and glass shattered in ice-like shards across the carpet in the large room. Wind billowed in, chased by delicate snowflakes. And then the X-Men stood there, shoulder-to-shoulder and clad in black. The Prices stopped, but Jessie didn't. She ran towards her friends and teachers, shimmering power fading around the edges, as she knew now everything would be all right. Her faith was the only thing that saved her.  
  
The creature appeared, a great, blue-tinted fiend with greenish plates of bone across brow, chest and arms. Vacant distended red eyes scanned the room even as the tendrils growing from his neck convulsed in unison. A ripple of gross muscle and two torpedo-shaped green pods shot from the ends of the tendrils, embedding themselves in the back of Mark and Lila's necks. Shimmering threads connected the humans to him, pulsing in the dim light as though he sucked them dry. Both of them fell forward even as Blaze threw frantic fireballs to drive the mutant away. A dim-witted scream filled the air as Blaze's fireballs hit home and the mutant pulled back, severing his contact with Jessie's adopted parents. He disappeared into the dark corridor.  
  
"Mommy!" Jessie screamed, charging back to her adoptive parents' sides before Gambit could grab her. Unbidden Iceman, Rogue and Wolverine started down the corridor that the monster had escaped down. Storm, a proven nurse, Blaze and Gambit went to help the Prices.  
  
"It's not looking good." Storm mouthed to her team-mates as she lifted Mark's head to put gloved fingers to the.........the thing that was now pulsing and growing, oozing puss in the back of the human's neck. "I think he was feeding off of them........." Blaze and Gambit didn't reply, looks of absolute horror on their faces as they watched Jessie try and comfort the people who had raised her all her life.  
  
"It'll be okay, Mom........." She stuttered. "You'll be fine, it's just a bit of a bee sting. Dad, listen........."  
  
"No, Jess." Her adoptive father whispered bravely. "You listen to me." A wave of desperate pain shuddered through him before he could continue. Why couldn't he see? His eyes, his nerves were on fire. Bile rose in his throat and he could barely find the energy to breath. Besides him his wife shuddered involuntarily, too exhausted all of a sudden to even fight the monster's paralysing venom. "We'll always love you, Jess. We'll always........."  
  
It was too late. He shuddered one more time, breath wracked from his body as the same happened to his wife. They died together. Jessica sat by them, holding their hands in hers, refusing to move. Shock was not a strong enough word for what she felt, and the X-Men let her be. 


	20. 20

Disclaimer: I do not own, nor am I making any money from, the X-Men movie- verse. Duncan and Hana belong to Corrinth, as does Ilehana Xavier should she be mentioned. Star owns Golan, should he be mentioned too. All other OCs belong to me, especially Blaze and Jessie.  
  
A/N: Post X2 spoilers, and spoilers for Corrinth's Guardians of Destiny, which incidentally is excellent so go read it! Reviews always appreciated.  
  
Scene 20  
  
Logan and company reappeared shortly afterwards, taking in the tableaux of pale and worried faces that surrounded the bodies of the Prices. Jessica was sobbing heartfelt tears now, curled up to Lila's side. The three X-Men were motionless, each reliving their own painful losses through Jessica's raw despair. It was left to the Wolverine to remind them that this wasn't the time for this.  
  
"We lost him." Logan admitted, bringing all four mutants out of their thoughts to look at him. "This place is like some creepy maze."  
  
"A labyrinth," Storm the history teacher mused, "Complete with monster..."  
  
"A minotaur?" A new voice replied, "You know that's a very good analogy for him..." Jessica visibly recoiled as Dr McMahon entered the large room. "Venu has about the intelligence of your average bovine..." The doctor smiled, veins on his head bulging. "But as you see he's much more deadly."  
  
"You got some explainin' to do." Remy snapped sharply, taking a step towards the older man. "T'ink I might enjoy forcin' it outta you."  
  
"Oh there's no need for that." Dr McMahon spoke quickly, backing away from Gambit and waving his stubby hands in an appeasing gesture. "You must be Jessica's real father then, such interesting eyes. And perhaps the lovely redhead is her mother then too, truly an honour to meet you both..."  
  
He did it deliberately of course, using the distraction as a way to get to the door. With Venu loose and uncontrollable now was not the time to be making polite conversation. For a moment Jessica stopped breathing, eyes drifting to Gambit in a fit of denial. It couldn't be, he couldn't be...  
  
"Oh no you don't." Logan snapped; unsheathing his claws and running with a roar to block Dr McMahon's escape route. The doctor froze, eying Wolverine's claws warily. "Get talkin' Bub, what horror film you got goin' on here? Frankenstein's Monster?"  
  
"I..." The man began as Logan raised his claws threateningly to parry with the doctor's chest. It didn't take a medical degree to know they'd do some serious damage if they entered his heart. "Its simple really, simple science..." He began with the fast words of a guilty criminal, trying to convince the jury that he had good reasons for everything. "Venu is, well, immortal. To a degree. My work... Tests have shown that he could be well over two hundred. He uses those vines on his neck and sides to implant pods, seeds in the bodies of his victims, paralyses them with venom stored inside them, then sucks their energy dry like milkshake through a straw. Or, if the connection is severed, the seedpods keep sucking, slowly, sending roots out through the veins and nerves of the victim. Later, if he comes back for them, he reabsorbs the pods and the energy that way. Its ingenious." Nobody in the room seemed to quite agree with Dr McMahon on this, and Logan did not relax his claws for a moment as Storm asked the next question.  
  
"But why the children? And the money from criminals? Why do you keep such a dangerous mutant in your home?"  
  
"Immortality." Dr McMahon stated again, amazed that these people hadn't already grasped the concept. "If the pods Venu produces can suck energy out of one person and pass it back to him, should it not be possible to modify them to pass that stolen life-force onto someone else? Initially of course I thought only of myself, but the money from the gang criminals' funds my labs upstairs, in return for immortality of their own. I'm so near to a breakthrough..."  
  
"An' the children?" Rogue asked, chilled to the bone as she tried to keep her cool. "Why pick on mutant kids?"  
  
"For Venu of course." Again the doctor's voice was incredulous. "It keeps him placid, he prefers the energy of freshly-developed mutant children to that of anyone else." He spoke now as if talking about the preferred food of a fussy pet. "Oh I've tried him on everything over the years, the homeless, the sick. But he's much more pliable for fresh pods if given one laden with the rich juices of a newly mutated child."  
  
"You're sick!" Jessie screamed at the doctor, shifting in hesitant darkness as she stood and threw off Blaze's hand on her shoulder. "You put one of those things in me already? How many more kids have you tried to kill?"  
  
"No, no." Dr McMahon spoke as if to a very simple child which Jessie was most certainly not. "I had no proof when I last saw you that you actually were a mutant. Of course, if I had known your real parents then... There is no early warning system for mutation, little Jessica."  
  
Visibly writhing from his patronising tone, hating this man with all of her being, she shifted into total blackness, raising her hands palm first in slow motion. Only when her palms were facing him, and as Logan with his animalistic sixth sense moved aside, did she answer the doctor in a tone as cold as ice.  
  
"My name is Raven." She stated as her unseen eyes stared angrily into his. The blast from her palms crossed the room in seconds, black lightning that for a brief moment connected the two of them, making him writhe like a marionette at her command. The force of the attack knocked him backwards through the very doorway he had been trying to escape through. His head hit something and he knew nothing more.  
  
Suddenly Jessica was very much a visible human again, a small girl exhausted and afraid. Blaze caught her as she slumped to the floor, tears in Laura's brown eyes as she met her daughter's gaze.  
  
"Raven hey?" The Englishwoman crooned, lowering the child to the floor and supporting her with her warm body. "That's pretty."  
  
"Is it true?" Raven asked, red-on-black eyes searching. Blaze didn't have to ask what.  
  
"Yes." She whispered as Remy came to kneel besides them, fingers brushing a strand of hair back tenderly from Jessica's cheek.  
  
"Maybe this could wait?" Bobby asked, well aware that whilst Dr McMahon was now unconscious, Venu was still loose and probably watching them.  
  
"You guys use some help?" A familiar voice that openly begged for their forgiveness cut across before Gambit could offer a reply. In the wreckage from the broken glass doors Cyclops stood uneasily, his wife Jean to his right and the four-armed Golan to his left. Gambit stood to face the deposed team leader, met Cyclops' eyes for a few seconds before Scott dropped his gaze. Had he given up so easily?  
  
"Yeah." Was Gambit's eventual answer, calling a truce for the time being at least. "This t'ing need the X-Men, need the Guardians..." 


	21. 21

Disclaimer: I do not own, nor am I making any money from, the X-Men movie- verse. Duncan and Hana belong to Corrinth, as does Ilehana Xavier should she be mentioned. Star owns Golan, should he be mentioned too. All other OCs belong to me, especially Blaze and Jessie.  
  
A/N: Post X2 spoilers, and spoilers for Corrinth's Guardians of Destiny, which incidentally is excellent so go read it! Reviews always appreciated.  
  
Scene 21  
  
At Storm's command a low mist rose up, masking the fallen bodies of the Prices. Rogue took Jessica's hand and guided her to relative safety of the Eagle, the child in no fit state to argue. Blaze let Jessie go reluctantly, but duty called and Rogue was no Guardian, could not take Laura's place in this. Pushing all emotion away Blaze readied herself for hot, hard vengeance. By her shoulder Gambit gritted his teeth.  
  
"Lets split up." The Cajun suggested. "We gotta keep this mutant contained. Golan, Iceman, can you take out the exits? Storm and Wolverine, go with them." The X-Men nodded, Bobby first icing up the gaps where the glass doors had once stood before he and Storm headed off in one direction and Logan and Golan lumbered off in another.  
  
"Jean, can you read his mind?" Cyclops asked his wife. "Do you know where he is?"  
  
Jean put her fingers to her temples for a few seconds, her eyes clouding over as a look of absolute concentration rippled over her features.  
  
"No." She apologised. "Its like he's not even here, like he's no mind for me to read." Bitterness at her failure was rife in her voice. Scott put a reassuring hand on his wife's slender shoulder and looked to Blaze and Gambit.  
  
"Any ideas?" He asked, hating that he and Jean had to admit defeat to the thieves.  
  
"Golan." Gambit offered. "If the mutant's on the ground..."  
  
"Golan hear you good, Gambit." Golan's usual babbling voice came back over the radios they were all wearing. "Golan will see what de earth can tell." In the dark corridor Golan's eyes rolled back in his skull as the colossal mutant flexed his earth-power muscles. Four hands reached out above him, grasping at something unseen as the other X-Men across the building braced themselves for what they knew was coming. The shockwave of moving earth made the building tremble and groan. A groan echoed by an angry squeal. Golan read what the earth told him, reporting back to his friends as the earth relaxed once more. "He on de ground, de one of plant and vine, he moves away from de big room. And angry he is say de earth, heavy steps dat pound and shudder."  
  
"Plant..." Blaze shook her head, trying to remember something about plants and plant poison. No, it wouldn't help, just a conversation with Ilehana when the doctor admitted she didn't know everything. Unwittingly Blaze smiled slightly, and sent out a mental plea to her absent friend. **I hope you're out there, Chosen One. I get the feeling we might need your support today. **  
  
Scott and Jean set off down the main corridor at Golan's words, whilst Gambit and Blaze conferred with a glance and took the stairs. Mindless this mutant might be, but if he headed upstairs and came back down behind the X- Men...  
  
"What do we do when we've cornered him?" Storm asked over the radio, always unwilling to take a life.  
  
"Contain him. This mutant can't help his nature, and we're not murderers." Cyclops replied, eyes straining to see in the darkness.  
  
"Speak for yourself." Blaze muttered in response, fire shimmering up her black-suited arms like magma. Gambit glanced back at her, and then pushed open the laboratory door with a heavy shove of his shoulder.  
  
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx  
  
Iceman and Storm walked side by side down their allotted corridor, pushing room doors open slowly and glancing in. The dull orange glow of the dying light bulbs in each room revealed nothing more than dust and neglect. Yet both X-Men had the uncomfortable feeling of being watched.  
  
They reached the secondary staircase to the upper levels without incident. Faced with the choice of whether to ascend the stairs or keep patrolling the ground floor, they paused at the bottom of the steps. Even as Storm spoke into her radio, asking Golan to once again see if Venu was on the ground, Bobby leant on the banister with his back to the darkness. Suddenly there was an audible squelch and Bobby sunk forward. Storm gasped in horror as Venu's bright red eyes flickered. A vine whipped across the space between them and hit her hard across the head. Her radio flew away across the hallway as her skull hit the wall. Venu did not stand around to admire his handiwork, disappearing again as quickly as he had arrived.  
  
Storm could feel herself slipping into unconsciousness as blood trickled down her brow. Bobby's breathing was erratic and harsh, the panic she felt for his welfare the only thing that kept her from just giving up. With a forceful groan as dragged herself back onto her knees, crawled unladylike across the hallway to reach a hand to her earpiece radio.  
  
"Jean... Bobby's hurt." She gasped. "We're by a stairway, east side of the house."  
  
"On our way Storm." Jean replied, already reaching out with her telepathy to assess the damage done to both Storm and Bobby by Venu's attack.  
  
"We need to do somethin' to slow this guy down." Logan commented. "He knows the house, we don't. He'll pick us off one by one if we don't come up with somethin'."  
  
"He is plant." Golan was adamant, knowing something of the life forms so attached to his element. "Many tings de Guardians control despise he will. Energy, no, he will use it to make him stronger. Earth cannot hurt dat which belongs to it. Thought a plant lacks in numbers, we know dis already. Metal and fire will hurt him, but if a slowing of him is all dat you wish, cold like winter would be de way."  
  
"Storm." Cyclops began, "Do you feel up to it?"  
  
"Absolutely." Storm lied whilst pulling herself upright using the banister. "Brace yourselves."  
  
Up in the laboratory, even as Storm's eyes shifted white and a wind of Antarctic proportions began to howl its way through every crack and orifice of the building, Blaze shot Gambit a terrified look. The icy gale buffeted the redhead, catching her hair and whipping it into a frenzy. Snowflakes melted the instant they touched the fire elemental's cheek. Blaze stood frozen and transfixed, wrapping her arms around herself as Gambit vaulted a workbench to get to her, knocking glass vials and random equipment to shatter on the floor. He'd never seen her like this before, but it didn't take a genius to know fire and cold didn't go well together.  
  
"What's wrong Chere?" He asked anxiously, pulling her shivering form to him.  
  
"I don't like the cold much either..." Already her voice sounded weak. Always her stupidly fast metabolism getting her in trouble... The icy air whistling in and out of her lungs was triggering a violent metabolic response. She could feel her body trying to shut down and conserve energy. Desperately unable to explain, she met Remy's eyes fearfully. "Don't let me fall asleep, I don't know if I'll wake up..."  
  
"Blaze!" Cyclops shouted over the radio, over the sound of Storm's power. Jean looked up from tending to Bobby, glancing worriedly at her husband. Blaze's only response was to reach up and remove the radio from her ear, letting it drop to the floor. Duty first. She wavered, wobbling as Gambit too removed his earpiece whilst trying desperately to keep her upright and warm.  
  
"Talk to me, Laura." He begged, wrapping his coat around her and holding her as close as he could. But Storm's weather was getting to him too now; he could feel his own body heat dissipating even as he tried to share it with Blaze. He had to keep her awake, the others could deal with Venu now and Storm would stop all this. Gambit asked the first question that came into his head, trying to keep his voice as carefree as possible, which wasn't very. "Why if you hate the cold so much you always gotta have your bedroom window open? Wherever we bin, whatever the season, you always gotta have an open window..."  
  
For a moment Blaze only shuddered in the cold, her breath condensing on the air. Her eyes were closed and her lips turning blue as she tried to reply, snowflakes no longer melting as they caught on her long eyelashes.  
  
"When I burnt my parent's house down," She began, empty of all emotions. "It knocked me out for hours. But when I woke the fire was still burning. There were sirens outside, but I don't think the firemen could get the blaze under control. I panicked, I knew they'd blame it all on me, it was my fault..." For a second her words caught in her throat, but she made herself carry on, fearing what would happen if she didn't. "I tried to get out but my window... it wouldn't open, the heat had warped it all... I had to go downstairs, out the back door, past my family...Swore right then I'd never get trapped again..."  
  
"Oh Laura." Remy gasped, but she was gone, sinking to the cold floor. He lay her down as carefully as he could, trying to keep her as close as possible, trying as he had since he'd met her to save her. It was as Remy's attention was so distracted that Venu stepped silently out of the darkness. The monster's eyes were distant and soulless, tendrils grasping in the air, needing energy before the cold destroyed him. He aimed a single, bulging vine at Gambit's back, hungry for the taste of a mutant's life force... 


	22. 22

Disclaimer: I do not own, nor am I making any money from, the X-Men movie- verse. Duncan and Hana belong to Corrinth, as does Ilehana Xavier should she be mentioned. Star owns Golan, should he be mentioned too. All other OCs belong to me, especially Blaze and Jessie.  
  
A/N: Post X2 spoilers, and spoilers for Corrinth's Guardians of Destiny, which incidentally is excellent so go read it! Reviews always appreciated.  
  
Scene 22  
  
With a fury of sudden strength, Blaze threw Gambit over backward, hurling herself over him to protect him. Not knowing how she found the energy, she raised a hand, spitting dragon-fire to knock Venu back. The seedpod frizzled in the air, dropping like silver dust into the wind. Venu screamed as his tendrils caught in the flames, skin peeling back like leaves in a bonfire, flesh underneath brown and burning. The fire devoured him, but not quickly, as though it burned green wood. Smoke hung thick in the air, as did Venu's wailing screams. Blaze slumped to lay her head on Remy's shoulder, his fingers grasping her hair.  
  
The wind dropped, temperature returning hastily from the Arctic spectrum back up to average LA temperatures. Logan and Golan arrived at a lope, Wolverine's sensitive nose wrinkling in disgust at the smell of smouldering tissue.  
  
"I think I need a vacation." Blaze groaned as she and Gambit got to their feet. Then she winced as she corrected herself. "Holiday. Not vacation, holiday. See, been stuck in America far too long for my own Englishness........."  
  
"Gambit take you wherever you wanna go, Laura. Just don't ever scare me like that again, okay?" She nodded at him, quite willing to oblige, still shivering and numb with cold.  
  
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx  
  
Back downstairs an uncomfortable silence settled on the gathered X-Men like dust on the many scattered furnishings. Dr McMahon had been dragged, still unconscious, to be bound with tatters of curtain to an uncomfortable- looking bench. Bobby was sat up on another of the battered chairs in the big, concave room, the other X-Men all spacing themselves out unevenly as if they were waiting for something. Jean and Scott appeared to be having a very long-winded telepathic conversation. Logan crossed his arms stubbornly over his chest, the hairs on the back of his neck tingling at the tension in the air between his friends. He could still smell that disgusting stench from upstairs where Venu lay smouldering too. Finally it was Bobby who tried to break the tension, though his voice was rough and his face pale.  
  
"You don't look so good Blaze, take it you don't like the cold much?" He smiled, a sentiment Blaze could just about echo as she pulled Gambit's coat further around herself.  
  
"Not really, but its not exactly something I like to advertise. How are you doing? Did Venu get one of those horrid things in you?"  
  
"Yeah." Bobby turned an interesting shade of green as he thought about it. "But that cold stuff of Golan's was good thinking. Jean woke me up enough to use my powers, and the seed thing just popped right out, dead."  
  
"Twas nothing." Golan was obviously crowing at how well his input had gone down with the other team members. "Tis a proud day for Golan, de X-Men served well has Golan."  
  
"That you have, Guardian." Jean agreed, coming over to him and placing her hand on one of Golan's many wrists, smiling at her friend.  
  
"Golan is much sorry to Blaze though........." The large mutant turned baleful eyes on the fire elemental as Jean's smile dropped almost as quickly as her hand. She knew it had been Scott's call to use Storm like that, Scott who was supposed to remember his team's weaknesses from the Professor's files, Scott who should have known they'd put Blaze's life in danger.........  
  
"Its okay, really." Blaze enthused. "I'm fine, see, barely shivering anymore." Her eyes drifted to Remy even as Jean turned to look at Scott. Every one of them knew what was coming next.  
  
"I........." Scott stuttered even as Remy stepped forward to face Cyclops. The whole room was deathly still, the very air electrified.  
  
"I don't want your job, Cyclops." Gambit began. "You don't want it either, give it somebody else. Personally I t'ink you should keep it. You got your problems, you don't listen for one. An' you always tryin' to prove you as good as a Xavier, but you ain't. That no insult to you, just the way it is. I t'ink you know this team's good at its job, we bin doin' this a long time. You trust us, stop tryin' to do everythin' yourself, an' we'll follow you."  
  
For a few moments the silence dragged on after Gambit finished his speech. Then as it sank in that everything could now go back to normal, there was an audible sigh of relief, even from Logan, not that he'd ever acknowledge it.  
  
"I don't know what to say." Scott was caught half way between a smile and a frown. "It was me who asked Storm to put this place in the freezer, even though I'd seen Blaze's files, I should have remembered......... I could have killed you."  
  
"Yes." Blaze acknowledged wryly, stepping forward to take Gambit's hand. "Don't do that again."  
  
"No problem." Cyclops answered, still in shock as Jean echoed Blaze's move by taking Scott's hand in hers.  
  
"How'd you get here on time?" Bobby asked with a groan. "When Jean **asked** me where we thought this Doctor guy was, I figured you'd still be hours away with no Eagle?"  
  
"So you our spy then, Ami?" Gambit gave Iceman a friendly grin, no point bearing grudges at this stage in the game. Bobby only shrugged and Storm looked a touch uncomfortable.  
  
"Took delivery of a little surprise yesterday," Cyclops announced, "Seems Ilehana had a few side-projects running before she........." He couldn't finish the sentence; especially not with the cold look Logan was giving him. "Three seater mini-jet, stealth technology, handles like a......... Like I don't know what."  
  
"What's it called?" Storm was intrigued.  
  
"The Falcon." Jean and Scott answered together, sharing a glance of wicked pleasure. Golan on the other hand looked vaguely ill just at the mention of the new jet.  
  
"So," Logan asked, disrupting the vastly improving mood of the team by bringing them sharply back to the present situation. "What happens now?" 


	23. 23

Disclaimer: I do not own, nor am I making any money from, the X-Men movie- verse. Duncan and Hana belong to Corrinth, as does Ilehana Xavier should she be mentioned. Star owns Golan, should he be mentioned too. All other OCs belong to me, especially Blaze and Jessie.  
  
A/N: Post X2 spoilers, and spoilers for Corrinth's Guardians of Destiny, which incidentally is excellent so go read it! Reviews always appreciated.  
  
Scene 23  
  
"We call the police." Gambit replied to Blaze's immediate and obvious confusion. Had she made him hit his head when she tried to save him from Venu? Were his injuries from the club causing the thief to not think like a thief? Remy knew exactly what she was thinking, knowing how it sounded to his own ears. He didn't know who he was trying to convince more as he looked into her beautiful brown eyes to explain. "We have to do this right, Chere. For Jessica."  
  
He didn't need to say anymore. It was not that Blaze had forgotten about her daughter, just that in the sudden exhilaration of cheating death once again she had been distracted. But she felt a well of guilt anyway, a suffocating blanket of knowing once again she'd put being an X-Man ahead of caring for her child. As she struggled to fight against her own feelings of lack of worth, the plans were made around her. She and Remy would stay, no question of that, and Jean would stay with them. You never could tell when a telepath would come in handy. All three would of course change into civilian gear, and Doctor McMahon would have his memories altered just enough to protect the interests of the X-Men.  
  
And so the team started back to the jets, Rogue only to happy to hear the all clear and unlock the X-Jet for boarding. She greeted Bobby with so much despair and agony over his wounds that there and then he knew it was about time that he married her, cursed with her powers or not. But Jessica was already pushing past them all, fighting her way uncommunicatively to the door and the steps to the ground.  
  
Blaze and Gambit brought up the rear of the group, his arm warm around her shoulders. She froze when the jets shimmered into view, stealth systems shut down. This was it, the end of all the lies, all the secrets. And suddenly she was terribly afraid, more than she ever had been in her life. The fear was more complete even than the mad panic she'd felt when she killed her own parents. More than when she awoke alone in a strange room in Paris to find herself rescued by an unlikely hero. More than when Mercury in a fit of jealous madness had plotted to drown Blaze in a flood of molten metal simply for having the gall to tell her that she wasn't really anything to Remy, that their relationship had always just been a laugh for him. More than she'd ever been when Alessandro Jacobi hunted Gambit and herself, trying to kill her to make Gambit too afraid to refuse his offer of work.  
  
More afraid than she'd been when she found out she was expecting a child. So terrified it outclassed the irrational fear of knowing she'd have to leave her home, the Xavier School, and her love to protect both him and her unborn child. Like an adimantium fist that ripped into her stomach, the fear was even more than knowing that suddenly Remy knew everything, what she'd done, the choices she'd taken away from him, how much she loved him. Now he and her daughter, her precious Jessica Lauren who she'd fought so hard and so long to protect by herself or in the name of the X-Men, would need Blaze's answers.  
  
"Why did you give me up? Didn't you want me?" Jessica was too exhausted from long crying to offer up much emotion in her words. Her Mom and Dad were dead, her life was over. Nothing else should matter to her, but it did. She needed to understand, child though they thought she was. Why had all this happened to her? Was she so bad, was all this her fault for even being born in the first place? These people had befriended her, why would they do that when they had given her up once before? Confused thoughts made her head spin, her stomach churn, and her powers throb. Somehow in the dim light of the new dawn she kept them under control.  
  
"Don't judge Gambit." Blaze began, thinking **I can't do this. **, screaming **I'm not strong enough! **, and pleading **Professor, Ilehana, give me strength? ** Fire like acid ran over her body; tears drying before they could even touch her cheeks. She stepped forward leaving Remy stood separate and alone, a spectator, immune from Jessica's undoubted hatred. But she couldn't dwell on what Jessica might think of her; her daughter's needs must come first. Somehow she carried on. "He didn't know anything about you until that night he introduced you and I at the school. That night we saw your eyes and recognised what it meant."  
  
For a moment Blaze said nothing, letting Jessica digest what had just been said. Remy was torn in pieces, knowing what Laura was trying to do, what she felt she had to do, but hating to see her standing so alone. He stepped forward, but Laura turned at the sound of his movement and met his eyes, silently pleading that he stay out of this. In the distance the sun sent fresh tendrils over the horizon, red and gold and beautiful against the blackness. How could something so perfect begin after such a night of terror, of tragedy?  
  
"So you didn't ask me to the school because I'm your child?" Jessica frowned, almost hating that she had to put her relationship to these people in such close words.  
  
"Non, Petite." Remy was anxious to be more involved. But Blaze again had other ideas, still trying to protect him he realised. If Jessica hated one of them, let it be her, let him still have the daughter he should have had for ten years beforehand.  
  
"I never told anyone at the school, Jessica. Professor Xavier knew, not that he ever meant to intrude, it just happened. And I believe his daughter Ilehana knew too, but she never asked me, would never be so unthinking........."  
  
"How?" Jessica could hardly ask. This just wasn't making sense. In her frustration she almost screamed at Blaze. "Why did you do this to me?"  
  
"I left......... Left Westchester and the X-Men. Left Remy........." She paused, if Jessie was so observant to spot that Laura loved him despite all her disguises, let her see how much that decision had cost her. "I wanted to give you everything, and give it to you myself. I wanted you to have a normal life. I wanted you to be safe, and me to be safe with you......... I wanted to start again........."  
  
Laura choked and her hands flew to her face in a vain attempt to hide her despair. She'd failed in everything she'd ever done. Her knees hit the dusty ground as a shot of light and heat brought the new day upon them, dawn relentless and uncaring about its own terrible timing. Remy was silent, but what the hell could he say? He went to her of course, knelt besides her and placed his hands on her shoulders. But he could offer her no words of comfort. After all they'd been through it was now she needed him, now he was found lacking.  
  
Jessica watched them, waiting at a distance. She wanted to scream at the sky, but her tongue was dry and swollen. She wanted to run to them, to be held as Gambit was now holding Blaze. She felt like pieces of her were dying, shed like snakes shed their skin. Would she come out shiny and new underneath, having grown just a little? Or would this make her horrid and vile, cold and unlovable like poor Leon at the Xavier School?  
  
"It didn't work." Blaze finally lifted her head and brushed the man she loved aside. She met her daughter's eyes and held them. "It didn't last. But for a while, I was happier than I had even been. I loved you; I still do love you with all of my heart Jessica. This is me kneeling before you. This is who I am. I can't stay out of trouble, bad things always happen around me. I gave you up for adoption because I love you, not because I didn't care what happened to you."  
  
Silence descended. Not one of them even dared breathe. On the Eagle, the X- Men granted the three of them privacy, waiting for news in subdued mood. Jessica's world reeled. Somehow it wasn't too hard to believe in everything that Blaze said. Somehow the woman kneeling ungracefully in the dirt seemed the most believable person in the whole world, honest to the point where it could cost her everything. There was no web of lies here to con Jessica, no pattern of deceit to make Blaze seem like an angel. Blaze knew she was nothing of the sort.  
  
"What now?" Jessie finally asked, sounding so very young and tired. Blaze met her daughter's eyes again and couldn't help herself. Reaching out from her position sat on the cold earth she accepted Jessica's desperate hug. Gambit's breath caught in his throat, tears running unashamedly down his cheeks until they welcomed him too into their embrace.  
  
"We fight for you, Petite." He swore, "We always will. Whatever you want, to come back to New York or to stay in California, stay with relatives of the Prices or find new foster parents for you........."  
  
"I want to get to know you." Jessica interrupted him as the gold of the sun sent the first clear shocks of blue through the new day. "Both of you." She would promise them no more than that, her grief too raw to be replacing her Mom and Dad. The sky shifted spectrum as Remy tried to speak again, holding both his daughter and his love tightly in his arms. But before he could say anything, Laura was hushing him with a soft kiss of her lips on his. In her arms their exhausted daughter slept. 


	24. 24

Disclaimer: I do not own, nor am I making any money from, the X-Men movie- verse. Duncan and Hana belong to Corrinth, as does Ilehana Xavier should she be mentioned. Star owns Golan, should he be mentioned too. All other OCs belong to me, especially Blaze and Jessie.  
  
A/N:  
  
Ok, last little bit now. Don't think I'll be writing any more X-Men the Movie fics at least for a while; I've taken Blaze as far into the future and developed her as much as I can in this world really. Sniff. Sorry, getting all emotional......... I guess that's what happens when you've had a character running round in your head for years and years, even back to when she was an original cartoon character and I didn't even know places like fanfiction existed......... Those were the days eh Ami? Blue spandex-yuk!  
  
Okay that's enough scary reminiscing. What next? Well there's always the possibility of more X-Men Evolution stories for Blaze and Ilehana, if any one is interested? And here's to hoping Gambit will make his film debut sometime soon. Whatever happens, take care; enjoy this last chapter and thank you all so much for the reviews, emails, proof reading and fantastic support; I adore you all.  
  
**Lamby**  
  
Epilogue  
  
Three years later.........  
  
"So what a pretty thing like you doin' workin' in a dump like dis?" The tall, dark haired man crooned at the blonde shop assistant as she scanned through his purchases. She didn't think she'd ever seen so many packs of cards in one basket. But before she could reply to his sweet talk, a girl in her early teens appeared at his elbow, pouting.  
  
"Dad........." She moaned. "Won't you ever grow up?"  
  
"Single parent?" The shop girl quipped, batting her eyelashes and realising that the few grey hairs on his head were probably the teenager's fault.  
  
"He wishes." The stunning redheaded woman's eyes were sparkling, her lips smiling as he kissed her.  
  
"No I don't." Remy confirmed as Jessica rolled her eyes at her parent's public display if affection. Laura laughed, before passing her precious load on to him.  
  
"Here you go, husband dearest. Your son needs changing again and it's definitely your turn." The child she gave him squirmed as Remy picked him up and sniffed frowning at his diaper.  
  
"Eugh! Sean my boy, whatcha bin eatin'!" Baby Sean le Beau cooed and gurgled his reply as Gambit settled the child against his arm.  
  
"Maybe that's his mutant power?" Jessie quipped as the family made their way to the shop exit.  
  
"Don't be so crude Jessica." Blaze admonished her daughter, but her eyes were amused.  
  
"I think this is a job best done by big sis." Gambit offered, holding the baby out to the comically disgusted Raven.  
  
"No way, Hosé!" Jessica threw up her hands. "I did it the time before last! No offence, Titch, but you really do stink! And besides Dad, you owe me for walking Scruffy when it was your turn yesterday. Scott only let me keep him at the school because you said you'd help me look after him." Baby Sean gurgled again in his Dad's arms as his older sister turned to their mother "Mom........." She pleaded. "Shoe sale........."  
  
"Alright, alright." Laura acknowledged, letting Jessica drag her away by the wrist in the direction of the sale. Blaze's brown eyes met Gambit's red- on-black ones over the heads of their children and something powerful but unspoken passed between them. They'd always had trust; this was something much more than that. A knowledge, a completeness.........simple family. Acceptance and love without degree, without rules. The shop assistant stared, and wondered briefly if she'd ever seen a family that so obviously belonged together.........  
  
**"Gam......... Remy, Laura, I hope that, after all this, you will both realise where it is you truly belong."**  
  
**The End** 


End file.
